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- VIRUS-L Digest Monday, 3 Jul 1989 Volume 2 : Issue 148
-
- Today's Topics:
- Re: Request for info on viruses (PC)
- joe mcmahon - ancient macs
- Re: Request for info on viruses (PC)
- Trojan horse on CompuServe
- ERIC NEWHOUSE where are you?
- Re: CMS viruses (IBM CMS)
- more on West German boot virus
-
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Date: 03 Jul 89 14:42:09 +0000
- From: dinda@cat51.cs.wisc.edu (Peter Dinda)
- Subject: Re: Request for info on viruses (PC)
-
- (c)Brain also seems to randomly mark sectors bad - whether there is
- anything in them or not. At UW-Madison's Academic Computing Center
- (MACC), we've also noticed that a new version of the virus is making
- its way into our labs - one that does not leave the (c)Brain warning
- and thus, can not be detected by our NOBRAIN program. Has anyone seen
- a detector that works by finding 'unique' code in the boot record?
-
- Peter A. Dinda
- (also dinda@WIRCS3.macc.wisc.edu)
-
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Mon, 03 Jul 89 15:37:38 -0000
- From: LBA002@PRIME-A.TEES-POLY.AC.UK
- Subject: joe mcmahon - ancient macs
-
- Dear Joe,
- We are using System 3.2, Finder 5.3 (you see we really do have antiques!)
- I think this is because of having to use version 3.1 of the laserwriter
- to drive an equally ancient laserwriter. The machines have actually been
- upgraded to 800k RAM and it maybe that they can run on a more modern version
- of the system which will handle Vaccine etc. Any help welcome.
- Rgds,
- Iain Noble
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Mon, 03 Jul 89 12:37:56 -0400
- From: ugcantie@cs.Buffalo.EDU (Bruce Cantie)
- Subject: Re: Request for info on viruses (PC)
-
- We have had the same (c) Brain running around UB for some time now,
- but have managed to kill it off. We Have the source code (written in C) for
- NOBRAIN, which will remove the bad sectors, and volume. We had picked up
- the cure from another University, and put it in all of our micro sites.
-
- Bruce Cantie --- ugcantie@sybil.cc.buffalo.edu
-
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Mon, 03 Jul 89 09:18:38 -0700
- From: Steve Clancy <SLCLANCY@UCI.BITNET>
- Subject: Trojan horse on CompuServe
-
- I posted this message on the CompuServe Information Service today, and
- thought I would share it with the other members of Virus-L. The text
- of the message follows:
- .
- "I recently downloaded a file from library #2 of the SCIFI forum.
- The file, called STARS3.EXE is a trojan horse. It has been
- mentioned for at least a couple of years in a listing of known
- trojan horses and viruses called "The Dirty Dozen." The
- description (from DIRTY DOZEN VER. 8B) is included below:
- *
- *
- STAR.EXE 3072 T Beware RBBS-PC SysOps! This file puts
- some stars on the screen while copying
- RBBS-PC.DEF to another name that can be
- downloaded later!
- *
- After downloading this file, I checked it carefully using a
- program called CHK4BOMB.EXE which, among other things, dumps the
- program listing to the screen so that any ASCII threats, taunts,
- etc. can be seen. I found the strings "RBBS-PC DEF" and
- "RBBS-PC" in this program.
- *
- Now the security present in current versions of RBBS does not allow
- any file with the extension "DEF" to be downloaded by users. In
- addition, running this program DID NOT copy my RBBS-PC.EXE file
- to RBBS-PC.DEF as explained above, however, there may be some
- timing feature that I am not aware of.
- *
- In any event, I would highly suggest that you remove this file as
- soon as possible! It is potentially a dangerous file that is
- designed (though not very well!) to compromise the security of
- anyone who runs the RBBS-PC bulletin board software.
- *
- Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any further
- questions.
- *
- Steve Clancy
- 714-856-7309, 71066,416"
- .
- .
- % Steve Clancy, Biomedical Library % WELLSPRING RBBS %
- % P.O. Box 19556 % 714-856-7996 300-9600 %
- % University of California, Irvine % 714-856-5087 300-1200 %
- % Irvine, CA 92713 % %
- % SLCLANCY@UCI % "Are we having fun yet?" %
-
-
-
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Mon, 03 Jul 89 09:57:46 -0700
- From: Steve Clancy <SLCLANCY@UCI.BITNET>
- Subject: ERIC NEWHOUSE where are you?
-
- Well, it seems that Eric Newhouse, author of the famous "Dirty Dozen"
- has dropped out of sight again. I recently attempted to call his
- bulletin board system, but found that it was no longer his BBS. The
- Dirty Dozen is a great list of known trojan horse for the PC, and I
- would like to keep getting the updates. If anyone knows what his new
- number is, please let me know.
-
- Thanks.
-
- % Steve Clancy, Biomedical Library % WELLSPRING RBBS %
- % P.O. Box 19556 % 714-856-7996 300-9600 %
- % University of California, Irvine % 714-856-5087 300-1200 %
- % Irvine, CA 92713 % %
- % SLCLANCY@UCI % "Are we having fun yet?" %
-
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Mon, 03 Jul 89 13:08:54 -0400
- From: Ed Nilges <EGNILGES@PUCC.BITNET>
- Subject: Re: CMS viruses (IBM CMS)
-
- >>in Communications Monitoring System (CMS) version 4 for IBM's MVS
- >>operating system where a dangerous virus could be introduced by simply
- >>programming 16 lines of code.
-
- That's Conversational Monitor System (formerly Cambridge Monitor System),
- and it is independent of, not "for", MVS. To my knowledge, ALL viruses
- on this system require some human action (to pull files in from the
- "virtual reader" user input queue). Although certain idiotic viruses
- (the CHRISTMA virus being the most notable) have affected CMS, it is
- not as subject to damage as is unix, where files are transmitted
- directly to the user's file space, rather than an independent queue.
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: 03 Jul 89 00:00:00 +0000
- From: Christoph Fischer <RY15@DKAUNI11.BITNET>
- Subject: more on West German boot virus
-
- DURING THE WEEKEND WE DISASSEMBLED THE VIRUS AND SOLVED THE
- MYSTERY ABOUT THE CONTINOUS BOOTING:
- AT BOTH LOCATIONS WE WERE CALLED TO, THE VIRUS HAD PATCHED
- A JUMP TO THE BIOS WARMBOOT ROUTINE IN TO THE COMMAND.COM
- WHICH WILL YIELD AN ENDLES BOOTING PROCESS SINCE WHEN THE SYSTEM
- COMES UP THE FIRST THING IT DOES IS STARTING COMMAND.COM.
- THE VIRUS PATCHES ITSELF INTO A PROGRAM IF ANY OF THE LOWORDER BITS
- OF SYSTEM TIME (SECONDS) ARE NON ZERO. IF ALL ARE ZERO IT PATCHES THIS
- FAR JUMP TO THE BIOS INTO THE PROGRAM. SO OUR CASE HAPPENS ONLY IN
- ONE OUT OF EIGHT CASES. FOR TWO LOCATIONS THIS MAKES 1 IN 64 CASES. :-)
- THE CODE OF THE VIRUS SEEMS TO BE IDENTICAL TO WHAT IS DESCRIBED AS
- DOS62 OR VIENNA SINCE WE DO NOT HAVE EITHER OF THE ORIGINAL VIRUSES
- WE CANNOT TELL FOR SURE WHETHER IT IS AN ORIGINAL OR A MUTANT.
- ANYHOW THE CODE SEEMS TO BE SOMEWHAT ARKWARD IN SOME PLACES,
- WHICH COULD BE A SIGN FOR A PATCHED VERSION.
- BYE
- CHRIS & TOBI
- *****************************************************************
- * Torsten Boerstler and Christoph Fiscier *
- * 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 *
- *****************************************************************
-
- ------------------------------
-
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