Fw: [Futurework] FYI Computer Worm alert

[Darryl and Natalia]

All mail scanned by NAV   Just a note re: Microsoft's "political agreements". The following is from section 7 of the consumer/company agreement that must be accepted if the "scan" is to be used by said consumer.   ... "We consider your use of the Service, including the content of your communications, to be private.  We do not routinely monitor your communications or disclose information about your communications to anyone. However, to the maximum extent permitted by law, we may monitor your communications and may disclose information about you, including contents of communications, if we deem it necessary to: (1) conform to legal requirements or respond to legal process; (2) ensure your compliance with this contract; or (3) protect the rights, property, or interests of Microsoft, its employees, its customers, or the public.   Also, in beginning the process of "set-up" there was more information going to Microsoft than being downloaded from Microsoft which in and of itself makes me suspicious of "Homeland Invasion of Privacy". Paranoia begets paranoia. For those who would like a second choice: google F-Secure corp. for a free download. But, this too has limitations. Saddened, Darryl   ----- Original Message ----- From: Karen Watters Cole To: futurework@fes.uwaterloo.ca Sent: Wednesday, February 01, 2006 7:19 PM Subject: [Futurework] FYI Computer Worm alert   Friday Is D-Day for Computer Worm 'Nyxem' Variant Poised to Delete Files on Infected PCs By Brian Krebs, washingtonpost.com Staff Writer, Wednesday, February 1, 2006; 1:27 PM A computer worm that infiltrated hundreds of thousands of PCs last month is expected to awaken Friday, destroying documents and files on infected machines and networks, Microsoft and computer security experts warn. The worm, variously named "Nyxem.D," "MyWife.E," "Blackmal.E," and the "Kama Sutra worm" by different antivirus companies, is a ticking time bomb that on the third day of each month will seek out and delete a wide range of file types found on infected Windows computers, including any Adobe PDF files and Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents, among others. The worm, which began appearing in e-mail inboxes around Jan. 17, arrives as an attachment disguised as explicit photos. Microsoft Windows users who open the file will infect their machines and cause the worm to spread. Microsoft advises customers who believe their computers may be infected with this worm to scan their PCs with up-to-date antivirus software or run a "protection scan" at the company's Windows Live Safety Center Web site. Experts at the SANS Internet Storm Center in Bethesda estimate that at least 300,000 computers worldwide have been infected by the worm, with the majority of infections found on computers in India, Peru and Turkey. In the United States, the infection affects at least 15,000 computers and possibly many more, according to Joe Stewart, a senior researcher with Chicago-based security company LURHQ Corp. "A few companies [may] get hit pretty hard, but probably home users are going to be the hardest hit by this worm," Stewart said. Nyxem's destructive payload is unusual because most modern computer worms are designed not to cripple their hosts but to enslave them in various criminal enterprises such as sending out junk e-mail and installing spyware. The code that powers the worm, however, is not new. The original Nyxem worm surfaced in March 2004 and attempted to enlist infected computers in an online attack against the New York Mercantile Exchange, whose Web site is www.nymex.com. The letters "x" and "m" were transposed when the worm was christened because antivirus vendors generally avoid giving a virus the name that its creator may have intended. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/01/AR2006020101324.html   _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list Futurework@fes.uwaterloo.ca http://fes.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework

_______________________________________________
Futurework mailing list
Futurework@fes.uwaterloo.ca
http://fes.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework