Hollosi Information eXchange /HIX/
HIX HUNGARY 280
Copyright (C) HIX
1995-04-14
Új cikk beküldése (a cikk tartalma az író felelőssége)
Megrendelés Lemondás
1 Re: VIRUS alert (mind)  40 sor     (cikkei)
2 Re: VIRUS alert (mind)  34 sor     (cikkei)
3 A Magyar (Hungarian) WWW page w/science and jobs (mind)  15 sor     (cikkei)
4 Teaching Opportunities (mind)  7 sor     (cikkei)
5 Help! (mind)  8 sor     (cikkei)
6 Re: VIRUS alert (mind)  20 sor     (cikkei)
7 Re: VIRUS alert (mind)  73 sor     (cikkei)
8 Re: A Magyar (Hungarian) WWW page w/science and jobs (mind)  2 sor     (cikkei)

+ - Re: VIRUS alert (mind) VÁLASZ  Feladó: (cikkei)

On Wed, 12 Apr 1995  wrote:

> Ross Hedvicek ) wrote:
> : In article > "JELIKO" >
writes:
> : >From: "JELIKO" >
> : >Subject: VIRUS alert
> : >Date: 11 Apr 1995 22:52:59 GMT
>
> : >Do not download any messages coming in here or by direct email that has
> : >"good times" in the header. It is supposed to be the worst virus so far.
> : >It does not need file download , email spreadable. Very destructive.
> : >Regards, Jeliko.
>
>
> : Do not take JELIKO seriously. This joke was around last year, it started on
> : one of New England schools. Next thing will be really a message with header
> : "good times" with no virus in it and you are supposed to soil your pants by
> : simple seeing it. :-)  My colleague is collecting viruses and he spent
great
> : deal of time last year collecting absolutely harmless messages with "good
> : times" header.
>
> : So do not worry.
>
> : Ross
>
> I'd also be curious to find out how in the world could a virus be spread
> via email. That seems impossible to me...
>
> casy
>
It IS impossible.

Peg


                          VERTECH
      1015 18th St.NW  Suite 403 Washington, DC 20036
Tel.202/331-4956  Fax 202/659-2724 email  
+ - Re: VIRUS alert (mind) VÁLASZ  Feladó: (cikkei)

In > Vertech
> writes:

>On Wed, 12 Apr 1995  wrote:
>
>> I'd also be curious to find out how in the world could a virus be spread
>> via email. That seems impossible to me...
>>
>It IS impossible.
>
While spreading viruses via email is impossible (unless you send
uuencoded infected binaries :-) there is a bit of harm that can be done
by an email or usenet message, to a certain category of users: those
who have serial terminals with programmable keys and use this feature.

A malicious message could contain escape sequences that reprogram some
of the programmable keys to send harmful commands when pressed.  Such
a command could be:

rm -rf ~<CR>

Most people will simply see a line containing some gibberish on their
screens, but those with the "right" kind of terminals won't see the
line and won't suspect anything.  When they'll press the reprogrammed
key, the command will be executed, they'll even see it on the screen,
but until they realize what's happening and interrupt it, some (more or
less irreparable) harm has already been done.

Dan
--
Dan Pop
CERN, CN Division
Email: 
Mail:  CERN - PPE, Bat. 31 R-004, CH-1211 Geneve 23, Switzerland
+ - A Magyar (Hungarian) WWW page w/science and jobs (mind) VÁLASZ  Feladó: (cikkei)

Hi,
I have updated my WWW page :

URL http://www.glue.umd.edu/~gotthard

Please, take a look at it if you are interested in :


My personal data ;
==================

Calendar of Hungarian events in the Washington DC area ;
> ==============================================

Hungarian WWW pages ;
+ - Teaching Opportunities (mind) VÁLASZ  Feladó: (cikkei)

I am second year Economics student (undeclared) and I would very
much be interested in English in Hungary. If you happen to come accross
such apportunities,  kindly let me know via e-mail transmission at
 or I can be reached over the telelphone at (412)
862-2876. I will gladly submit a resume.Thank you.

Sanjeev Vohra
+ - Help! (mind) VÁLASZ  Feladó: (cikkei)

I'm trying to subscribe to a mailing list on Hungary, and I'm wondering
how to log on.  I will be a research-writer for Let's Go travel this
summer and would welcome any recommendations onf other information
sources too.

Thank you

smk
+ - Re: VIRUS alert (mind) VÁLASZ  Feladó: (cikkei)

Dan Pop ) wrote:

: Most people will simply see a line containing some gibberish on their
: screens, but those with the "right" kind of terminals won't see the
: line and won't suspect anything.  When they'll press the reprogrammed
: key, the command will be executed, they'll even see it on the screen,
: but until they realize what's happening and interrupt it, some (more or
: less irreparable) harm has already been done.

Dan,

That is interesting. But arent terminal escape sequences only used for
cursor positioning and similar activities. Would it be possible to
execute an arbitrary command or script to implant a Trojan horse type of
program into the target system?

I appreciate the info you have given. I thaught email was entireely safe.
I use vt102. Is there anythink I should be worried about?

casy.
+ - Re: VIRUS alert (mind) VÁLASZ  Feladó: (cikkei)

In article > "JELIKO" >
writes:
>Do not download any messages coming in here or by direct email that has
>"good times" in the header. It is supposed to be the worst virus so far.
>It does not need file download , email spreadable. Very destructive.

Here is an excerpt from TIPP #1596 (see soc.culture.magyar FAQ).   -- Olivier




------------------- A - T - T - E - N - T - I - O - N -------------------

THE "Good Times" VIRUS IS AN URBAN LEGEND

In the early part of December, CIAC started to receive information requests
about a supposed "virus" which could be contracted via America OnLine, simply
by reading a message.  The following is the message that CIAC received:

 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Here is some important information. Beware of a file called Goodtimes.    |
|                                                                           |
|  Happy Chanukah everyone, and be careful out there. There is a virus on   |
| America Online being sent by E-Mail.  If you get anything called "Good    |
| Times", DON'T read it or download it.  It is a virus that will erase your |
| hard drive.  Forward this to all your friends.  It may help them a lot.   |
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

THIS IS A HOAX.  Upon investigation, CIAC has determined that this message
originated from both a user of America Online and a student at a university
at approximately the same time, and it was meant to be a hoax.

CIAC has also seen other variations of this hoax, the main one is that any
electronic mail message with the subject line of "xxx-1" will infect your
computer.

This rumor has been spreading very widely.  This spread is due mainly to the
fact that many people have seen a message with "Good Times" in the header.

They delete the message without reading it, thus believing that they have
saved themselves from being attacked. These first-hand reports give a false
sense of credibility to the alert message.

There has been one confirmation of a person who received a message with
"xxx-1" in the header, but an empty message body.  Then, (in a panic, because
he had heard the alert), he checked his PC for viruses (the first time he
checked his machine in months) and found a pre-existing virus on his machine.
 He incorrectly came to the conclusion that the E-mail message gave him the
virus (this particular virus could NOT POSSIBLY have spread via an E-mail
message).  This person then spread his alert.

As of this date, there are no known viruses which can infect merely through
reading a mail message.  For a virus to spread some program must be executed.
Reading a mail message does not execute the mail message.  Yes, Trojans have
been found as executable attachments to mail messages, the most notorious
being the IBM VM Christmas Card Trojan of 1987, also the TERM MODULE Worm
(reference CIAC Bulletin B-7) and the GAME2 MODULE Worm (CIAC Bulletin B-12).
 But this is not the case for this particular "virus" alert.

If you encounter this message being distributed on any mailing lists, simply
ignore it or send a follow-up message stating that this is a false rumor.

Karyn Pichnarczyk
CIAC Team


   (\__/)  .~    ~. ))
   /O O `./      .'               PATRICK DOUGLAS CRISPEN
  {O__,   \    {                   
    / .  . )    \                THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA
    |-| '-' \    } ))
   .(   _(   )_.'         Roadmap: Copyright 1994 Patrick Crispen.
  '---.~_ _ _&                      All rights reserved.
+ - Re: A Magyar (Hungarian) WWW page w/science and jobs (mind) VÁLASZ  Feladó: (cikkei)

Hi! How can I get to this WWW through E-mail
Thanlsz

AGYKONTROLL ALLAT AUTO AZSIA BUDAPEST CODER DOSZ FELVIDEK FILM FILOZOFIA FORUM GURU HANG HIPHOP HIRDETES HIRMONDO HIXDVD HUDOM HUNGARY JATEK KEP KONYHA KONYV KORNYESZ KUKKER KULTURA LINUX MAGELLAN MAHAL MOBIL MOKA MOZAIK NARANCS NARANCS1 NY NYELV OTTHON OTTHONKA PARA RANDI REJTVENY SCM SPORT SZABAD SZALON TANC TIPP TUDOMANY UK UTAZAS UTLEVEL VITA WEBMESTER WINDOWS