posted on July 24, 2001 07:40:50 PM
I am not the sharpest tack in the box when it come to how things "work" with computers.
Friday, my Norton Anti-Virus program came on (as usual) and began to scan my files in the background (as usual), so I took off to do other things. Normally, it takes a couple of hours. When I came back to check on things, I found a pop-up that said "Norton found a virus in this file and deleted it" or something similar.
I have my preferences set up for Norton to quaratine and notify me, not just delete!
I also noticed my desktop looked mighty bare!
Turns out Norton "identified" all my files and programs as a virus and wiped me clean!
I tried many things to get up and running, but eventually just had to re-install Windows and start from scratch. I have lost quite a bit, but luckily I do have back-ups of the really important stuff.
OK, here's my question:
How did this happen? I am so careful about my emails that even though Norton scans them, if I do not recognize the person...delete. If, there is an attachment...delete. I don't really care for all those "cutesy" emails some of my friends insist on forwarding me.
I have been told that maybe it was a virus that has been dormant for a long time. Maybe it was a virus that targeted Norton and "tricked" it into thinking everything was infected.
My real concern I guess is:
Is it possible for Norton to go crazy (all on it's own) and do something like this?
Is there any way I can make certain it doesn't happen again? I have thought about just not re-installing Norton and find something else. Any suggestions?
posted on July 24, 2001 08:59:14 PM
I doubt that a norton program would do that on it's own. What you describe sounds similar to what is being attributed to the very latest worm, born last friday. It is supposed to attach through outlook email to any file or files at random in it's new home and in certain setups will do just what you say was done--wipe a disk.
Had you done a live update in the last two days? If not, you may not have had a defense. well, obviously you had to defense.
As an update, your episode caused me to realize that it had been a few days since I'd rought down a live update myself, so I did. It was perhaps the largest antivirus update I've ever seen--very unusual for only a few days. I'd bet that it had to do with what I spoke of above.
posted on July 24, 2001 09:23:15 PM
Thanks krs-I update on Monday mornings at startup and then the automatic scan of my files is set for Friday night.
I just couldn't figure out why Norton would tell me it had found an infected file and automatically deleted it when I do not have it set to do that. Then, to find out that it had found all my files "infected" thus deleting them all was just mind boggling to me!
I hadn't received any emails Friday morning that I would consider "suspect". The only email with an attachment was an email with a jpeg file which automatically opened when I read the email. I have been told jpegs can't carry a virus, so I don't know if that was the guilty email or not.
I only got back up this afternoon and I did see on eBay Outlook a warning about a virus, but from the description given, I didn't receive that one.
I have become very gun shy over this one. In the past 2 years, I have only had Norton quarantine 1 email. I deleted that one myself. Then, my ISP, which has a very good filter, caught the "snow white" virus and notified me that someone had attempted to send it, but that it has been filtered out.
Since this one seems to have been triggered by Norton Anti-Virus and actually got Norton to destroy my files, I was afraid it might happen again and maybe I should find a new anti-virus program.
I am relieved that it couldn't just be my Norton going bonkers for "no good reason". I don't like "mayhem", but I sure don't like unexplainable "glitches"!
[ edited by sulyn1950 on Jul 24, 2001 09:30 PM ]
posted on July 24, 2001 09:28:16 PM
Well, there's no harm in running two, but I've trusted Peter Norton since his first version and he's never failed me.
There is something about the titling of the emails involved, and evidently it doesn't depend on a receiver opening an attachment.
There's a lot of talk about it on another place I go--i'll go there now and see if there's further details. I'd pretty much ignored it because I don't use outlook.
posted on July 24, 2001 09:30:01 PM
The problem stems from the fact that Windows e-mail program automatically executes any code inbedded within an e-mail upon opening it. You need not even open the e-mail. There is a window pane that shows you the contents of the e-mail. An e-mail worm is activated when you go select it to delete it if the View Contents pane is visible.
posted on July 24, 2001 09:33:46 PMsulyn1950:I hadn't received any emails Friday morning that I would consider "suspect". The only email with an attachment was an email with a jpeg file which automatically opened when I read the email. I have been told jpegs can't carry a virus, so I don't know if that was the guilty email or not.
They can now. Did that email by any chance say something like "I need your advice"? The virus in question can be in any number of file types--including jpeg and is always attached to an email that contains the words "I need your advice." The insidious thing is, if this is what attacked *your* PC, it then sends out emails in *your* name, having taken over a file from your PC (a .jpg, .zip, etc.) and sends it to people in *your* address book. So people open the attachments because the email is from someone they know.
posted on July 24, 2001 09:42:08 PM"An e-mail worm is activated when you go select it to delete it if the View Contents pane is visible."
I have heard this before, but now I have to admit I don't know how to prevent this. I have been all over the "options" in my OE, but can't see where I am able to choose preview or not! How would a two year old check on this????
posted on July 24, 2001 09:50:30 PMsulyn1950: I think this is how you fix it so your emails don't open automatically (if I'm wrong, someone is sure to correct me ):
Open your email
Click on Tools & choose Options
A box ith tabs will pop up--choose the tab that says "Read"
Under the "Reading Messages" section you'll find "Automatically download message when viewing in the Preview Pane"
Uncheck that choice.
That should fix it so that only the subjects of your emails are downloaded & that the emails themselves will not download until you request it by opening them.
posted on July 24, 2001 10:03:37 PMbunnicula-I saw the comments on this one tonight. I did not receive any emails that said "need your advice". I actually only received a few emails Friday. The usual spam, but I just delete those without every reading them. Of course, I do have a preview pane, but I don't know how to disengage that.
The only reason I had a second thought about the email with the jpeg is because the subject line said: This is from XXXX-it's really funny.
It was from someone I knew and I also knew the person the jpeg was suppose to be from.
In retrospect, I was thinking "funny" as in HaHa??? Like the HaHa virus??? That's an old one though, and I never received it when it was going around originally. Also I don't think that one used Norton to "see" your files as infected! Then again, I'm not really sure what that one supposedly did.
Anyway, I called the person who had sent me that "funny" email and they said yes they had sent it and yes it was from XXXX and that they had not had any problems at all. They were still up and running, as of Monday anyway. Haven't heard from them since then.
Oh and thanks for the "pre-view" disabling "how-to".
[ edited by sulyn1950 on Jul 24, 2001 10:21 PM ]
posted on July 24, 2001 10:10:14 PM"if I'm wrong, someone is sure to correct me"
Oh, how I'd like that, but in this case what Bunnicula has said coincides with what I remember of the descriptions I've seen with the exception that one person mentioned that in addition to the title she mentioned, a common Spanish greeting was used.
I'm torturing ubb tonight. Must be the painkillers.
posted on July 25, 2001 07:18:35 AMI hadn't received any emails Friday morning that I would consider "suspect".
This reminded me of a similar question I posted here a few months back. One very savvy computer user pointed out what I'd overlooked--most viruses come from unknowing friends or business acquaintances. "Suspect" e-mails are usually the least effective means of spreading a virus.
Which reminds me, time to update my virus files as well and to again start to scan all incoming e-mails with attachments before reading.
posted on July 26, 2001 03:25:18 AM
NEVER, I repeat NEVER let any program autodelete anything. I always insist on a pilot being on the planes I fly, even if all they do is watch the autopilot fly the plane.
posted on July 26, 2001 12:25:11 PM"NEVER, I repeat NEVER let any program autodelete anything."
That is why I was so upset! My program is set to "ask me what to do" not delete!
I have been over on ZDNet and looked at all the new viruses and NONE of them fit what happened to me. Not the subject, not the content in the email, not the attached file AND it did not affect my computer the way the reports say the SirCam one will. I had no warning, I was not even given any real identity of the "infected" file or the name of the virus. Just "found an infected file and deleted it". There was a window under that pop-up and it had a view bar on the top that said: c\\: and was blank. Under that was another view pane and it had long list....ALL my files! The only thing left on my desktop was My Computer, Recycle Bin, My Documents....When I went in through "start" and clicked on my programs they showed "empty". When I clicked on "My Computer" everything I tried to open said "incorrect configuration" or something like that. The Norton Rescue Disk did absolutely nothing. Just set there. Couldn't even get booted into DOS! The information was non-retrievable (at least that's what I was told).
I have contacted Symantec about it, but have not heard back yet.
If this was a virus, it is one that has not been discussed yet at least not that I can recognize based on what happened to my computer.
Thanks MouseSlayer-I did what you said and the bottom half of my page in OE disappeared...have to double click the list of email and another window opens to show me the email! So, I now have my email set to not automatically down load (that's from bunnicula ) and no preview pane! I guess since I have the automatically download feature turned off, that's why I have to double click to get the email to open?????
I have also been checking on updates to my Norton program twice a day! Think I'm a little paranoid???? Better safe than sorry eh????
I don't know how to prevent this. I have been all over the "options" in my OE, but can't see where I am able to choose preview or not! How would a two year old check on this????
):
Hippy wannabe 
~^~