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- VIRUS-L Digest Monday, 3 Jul 1989 Volume 2 : Issue 147
-
- Today's Topics:
- new network-virus group?
- nVIR and Appletalk (Mac)
- VACATION Virus Reported on INFO-VAX List (VAX/VMS)
- Update on boot virus in Germany (PC)
- Re: New Virus - Fu Manchu?
-
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Date: Fri, 30 Jun 89 12:55:48 -0500
- From: "Jeffery K. Bacon" <BACON@MTUS5.BITNET>
- Subject: new network-virus group?
-
- A little while ago, there was some hashing about the overly
- pcoriented direction of this list or something like that. (Forgive me,
- I had 4+ week's worth of mail to catch up on in the past 1-1/2 wks,
- and it's been a while since I read the virus-l notebook - which was
- sizeable. So...)
-
- Anyway. I don't mean to hash on the pc virus gurus and the pc virus
- problems - I will definitely agree, they are very serious, and need much
- attention. In fact, I will say right here and now that THIS netgroup, in
- my wide and varied experience, is one of THE most productive and useful
- groups I have EVER seen ANYWHERE in netland. (Please note that when I say
- 'PC', I mean 'personal computer' in general, not IBM-PC&clones.) This of
- course needs to continue.
-
- My thought here is that the group has kind of shifted directions
- towards the PC environment. But the networking environment and the issues
- surrounding it are very different. There are of course no major network
- virus dangers right now, but network security and finding loopholes is
- always a major concern. Is there a place for another list concerning
- viruses in the network and PC-NFS/LAN environment?
-
- I remain kind of neutral on the issue, I just bring it up here for
- thought. There might be some overlap with VIRUS-L as it is, or perhaps
- with the SECURITY list, that might want to be considered. But I personally
- know that most of what passes thru VIRUS-L nowadays is of little interest
- to me because I rarely if ever work with pc's. I imagine there are others
- who are like me here too.
-
- Whaddya think? Instead of discussing it here, it might be better to
- perhaps have the comments sent to me (bacon@mtus5.bitnet) and I'll
- compile them. I'll leave that to Ken to decide.
-
- [Ed. Thanks for offering to compile the "votes", Jeff - I hope you're
- prepared for some more mail to wade through! :-) I've received lots
- of requests for, among other things, a Mac-only and a PC-only list.
- If the readers feel that it is time to split the already heavy traffic
- into separate groups, then it would seem (to me) to make sense to have
- a Net-only group. I also think that if such a split is desired, then
- we'd have to find a moderator/digestifier for each group, since I
- don't think that I'll have enough time to handle all three (or however
- many) groups. So, be careful what you ask for, you just may get it.
- Feedback, both positive and negative, is appreciated.]
-
- Jeffery Bacon
- Academic Computing Svcs, Michigan Technological University
- bitnet: <bacon@mtus5> uucp: <backbone>!rutgers!umix!anet!bacos
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: 06 (null) 89 09:06:28 +0000
- From: E. C. Greer <RS0XEG@ROHVM1.BITNET>
- Subject: nVIR and Appletalk (Mac)
-
- We've found a few MAC's here with nVIR (both A and B), and we're
- having some success in dealing with the infections using SAM. So far
- the affected machines appear to be isolated cases, but I'm concerned
- becaues most of our 100+ MAC's are networked with Appletalk. Can
- anyone tell me whether nVIR can be spread over Appletalk? If so, under
- what conditions is it spread, and what countermeasures can I take?
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Fri, 30 Jun 89 13:43:00 -0500
- From: "Brian D. McMahon" <BRIAN@UC780>
- Subject: VACATION Virus Reported on INFO-VAX List (VAX/VMS)
-
- The following recently appeared on INFO-VAX; I have no further information.
- Can anyone confirm/deny/elaborate?
-
- >Date: 26 JUN 89 22:05:24.55-GMT
- >From: INFOVAX@FRIPN51.BITNET
- >To: INFO-VAX@KL.SRI.COM
- >Subject: RE: automatic mail answering service : WARNING, MAY BE VIRUS
- >
- >TAKE CARE: the program VACATION (distributed on a mailing list) is a
- >potential VIRUS for ALL the people registered on this list if used
- >with no modifications. It will reply to the list, so to itself...and
- >so on... And you will be on vacation, so you will not stop it quickly.
- >Suppose just a few people of INFO-VAX use this program, and imagine
- >the disaster, because it will also reply to all the mailing send by
- >all the runing copy of this monstrosity.
- >Surely it was not the will of the author of VACATION, but this
- >program IS A VIRUS !
- >
- >Bernard PERROT
- >Institut de Physique Nucleaire
- >Orsay - France -
-
- [Ed. It appears to me to be more a case of an infinite mail loop than
- anything that could be called a virus. I frequently get messages on
- VIRUS-L/comp.virus which are sent from a VACATION program (VMS or
- Unix). Since VIRUS-L is moderated, however, I merely delete the
- message. If the message goes out to the list, and the VACATION
- program replies, you have an endless cycle. Use any VACATION program
- very cautiously.]
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: 30 Jun 89 00:00:00 +0000
- From: Christoph Fischer <RY15@DKAUNI11.BITNET>
- Subject: Update on boot virus in Germany (PC)
-
- CONTINOUS BOOT VIRUS UPDATE
- Finally we received a copy of the virus that appeared at two places
- in West-Germany.
- 1. Both Viruses are identical
- 2. It infects COM files
- 3. It is a direct virus (no TSR)
- 4. Its size is 648 bytes (like the DOS62 virus) (the first value we
- announced was 50bytes the value phoned to us by the panicing owner
- of the infected PC. We assumed part of the virus hiding out in
- uninitialized DATA sections.
- 5. It continuosly boots over and over again
- 6. It overwrites the first 5 bytes with a JMP (3 Bytes) and
- byte 4 with BAh and byte 5 with B8h.
- 7. The JMP points to the beginning of the virus wich starts with
- PUSH CX MOV DX,<comfilesize+648)
-
- Maybe someone has encountered this apperently hacked version of
- DOS62.
- We'll present more after diassembly of the virus.
- Have a nice weekend
- Chris
- *****************************************************************
- * Torsten Boerstler and Christoph Fischer *
- * Micro-BIT Virus Team / University of Karlsruhe / West-Germany *
- * D-7500 Karlsruhe 1, Zirkel 2, Tel.: (0)721-608-4041 or 2067 *
- * E-Mail: RY15 at DKAUNI11.BITNET or RY12 at DKAUNI11.BITNET *
- *****************************************************************
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Sat, 01 Jul 89 18:22:56 -0400
- From: "Russell K. Davis" <rdavis@AI.MIT.EDU>
- Subject: Re: New Virus - Fu Manchu?
-
- This virus was found by Joe Hurst in the united Kingdom and he shoukld
- have finished disassembling it by now (but I have not spoken to him
- for a while)
-
- ------------------------------
-
- End of VIRUS-L Digest
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