From: Marty Michener <>
> I was about to post the grisly details here, with the moderator's
> permission to you all, because the precautions and remedies are NOT obvio=
us
> and experts are hard to find - other than keep your Windows computers OFF=
> and unplugged from the phone lines. Every time I think I have a handle o=
n
> the subject, I learn another day's worth more . . . It is ugly ugly
> ugly. AT&T only capitulated and let us off their considerable hook with=
> MUCH effort and threats on our parts. I hope to get a case package off
> today to the NH Attorney General . . . ugly ugly ugly! We have now
> installed Microsoft's anti-spyware, SpyBot and Ad-aware and still are not=
> sure it won't happen again . . .
It will, just a matter of time. Only sure fire cure is to go with Mac
OS. Or disconnect from the internet permanently. Or a angry mob burning
Billy's house and all the Microsoft campus, preferably with them in it.
Microsoft has, it seems, decided to let the OS be leaky and then sell
it's customers extra software to fix those leaks. New profit line, I
really pity windows users. I read in some of their stuff where they may
offer future versions of their OS in several levels of virus "protection".
Right now I'm suffering through another run of someone else's infection.
I get about 70-100 mails a day that are rejections of stuff I am
supposed to have mailed. In reality it's some infected windows machine
somewhere spoofing my email. Last time this happened I tracked it to the
exact router that the person was dialing in to and notified his ISP,
online live when he was on, and told them the exact times he had been on
for the past two weeks. He was in the Washington DC area. They were not
interested, and it went on for an incredible 4 months after that!
Presumably the person finally noticed how little he could squeeze
through into the internet between the thousands of emails the virus was
sending. I'd know to the minute when he dialed in and hung up. He got
good connections and the fraction of rejected emails that bounced to me
amounted to 10-20/minute. Luckily he usually was on for 15 minutes a day
or less. Actually, he probably never knew he had a virus, his computer
was too slow for his work so he got a new one. Some folks I'm sure
that's the only way they get their PC's cured.
Owning a mac does not get you away from all this mess. Just your
computer is not participating, you are not spreading it. Our one windows
machine is not allowed to play online. If it needs anything from online
we use a mac to get it for it.
Walt
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