Guest guest Posted December 26, 2001 Report Share Posted December 26, 2001 PLEASE READ THIS WILL EXPLAIN BETTER THAN i CAN DAWN SULFNBK.EXE - Hoax, Virus or WHAT? 'June 1 Virus' FAQ Join the Discussion " Sulfnbk.exe is a legitimate Windows file but like many others, can be infected. It looks as though someone who fell victim to Magistr mistakenly thought that the host file was the culprit and decided to warn others about it. " — Keilor Related Resources • Virus Hoaxes From Other Guides • Sulfnbk.exe Warning • How to Restore Sulfnbk.exe • The Magistr Virus • The Hoax That Cried Virus Elsewhere on the Web • Symantec: " Sulfnbk.exe Warning " • Vmyths.com: " The Sulfnbk.exe Hysteria " Posted 05/30/01 By Emery Q. I received an email warning about an infected file called Sulfnbk.exe. The message says if I find the file on my hard drive I should delete it before June 1, when it will supposedly deliver its " payload " and infect my computer. Should I delete it? A. No. Sulfnbk.exe is a standard Windows system file. Leave it alone. Q. Does that mean the warning is a hoax? A. Not exactly. Copies of Sulfnbk.exe do exist that are infected with the Magistr worm. Experts believe the email warnings did not originate as a hoax (i.e., as an intentional attempt to deceive anyone), but as an earnest effort to notify others of the potential threat. Q. Well, does that mean my computer could be infected, then? A. Yes, but it's highly unlikely. You could only be infected if you've received and downloaded a contaminated copy of Sulfnbk.exe as an email attachment. If you habitually practice safe computing — meaning you never download or execute unknown file attachments and you scan your hard drive regularly with up-to-date virus protection software — you should have nothing to worry about. Q. What should I do if I think I may have downloaded the bad file? A. Make sure your antivirus program has been recently updated, then scan for viruses. Your software should detect and clean the infected file automatically if it is there. Q. Do I have to do that before June 1 to be safe? A. No. The bit about the virus " going off " on June 1 is pure fiction. Q. I'm embarrassed to ask, but... What if I already followed the instructions in the email and deleted Sulfnbk.exe? How do I fix it? A. First, let this be a lesson to you! Never take for granted that the information you receive in forwarded emails is accurate. Always verify such information with an authoritative source before acting on it or forwarding it to others. That said, to restore the deleted file, follow the instructions given by antivirus expert Landesman here. Q. Is there anything else I should know? A. Just this: As a general rule, paying attention to forwarded email warnings is the worst way to try to protect yourself from viruses — and not just because the majority of virus warnings are hoaxes. In a sense, all virus warnings — even the accurate ones — are misleading, because they give the false impression that as long as you're watching out for file attachments with specific names you will be safe. The reality is that you put yourself at risk by downloading any executable file by any name (and some viruses are even designed to rename themselves or send themselves out under randomly varying names). Much, much, much more important than reading virus warnings are the simple measures of 1) always being very careful what you download, and 2) scanning your hard drive regularly. Q. Okay. Are you done lecturing now? A. Yes. Until the next time something like this happens — which, trust me, won't be long. Update: Real Virus Piggybacks on 'Hoax' Warning 06/04/01 - Antivirus experts say the destructive Magistr worm has been found attached to some copies of the Sulfnbk.exe warning message. We hope this goes without saying, but just in case: If you receive the warning, do not open any attachments that may arrive with it. For more information, see " Worm Sneaks Ride With June 1st Hoax " from ZDNN. Take the Poll: Did YOU delete the file? (You're not alone if you did.) More info: Sulfnbk.exe - When Hoaxes Harm Landesman tracks the early spread of the email Restoring Sulfnbk.exe What to do if you've deleted the file The Magistr Virus In rare cases, copies of Sulfnbk.exe have been found to be contaminated with this virus Symantec: Sulfnbk.exe Warning From Symantec's Antivirus Research Center The Sulfnbk.exe Hysteria Virus hoax expert Rob Rosenberger's curmudgeonly take on the spread of this " hoax " and aftermath Worms Sneaks Ride With June 1st Hoax June 4 update from ZDNN The Hoax That Cried Virus Why you should be wary of all those virus alerts in circulation __________________________________________________ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 26, 2001 Report Share Posted December 26, 2001 PLEASE READ THIS WILL EXPLAIN BETTER THAN i CAN DAWN SULFNBK.EXE - Hoax, Virus or WHAT? 'June 1 Virus' FAQ Join the Discussion " Sulfnbk.exe is a legitimate Windows file but like many others, can be infected. It looks as though someone who fell victim to Magistr mistakenly thought that the host file was the culprit and decided to warn others about it. " — Keilor Related Resources • Virus Hoaxes From Other Guides • Sulfnbk.exe Warning • How to Restore Sulfnbk.exe • The Magistr Virus • The Hoax That Cried Virus Elsewhere on the Web • Symantec: " Sulfnbk.exe Warning " • Vmyths.com: " The Sulfnbk.exe Hysteria " Posted 05/30/01 By Emery Q. I received an email warning about an infected file called Sulfnbk.exe. The message says if I find the file on my hard drive I should delete it before June 1, when it will supposedly deliver its " payload " and infect my computer. Should I delete it? A. No. Sulfnbk.exe is a standard Windows system file. Leave it alone. Q. Does that mean the warning is a hoax? A. Not exactly. Copies of Sulfnbk.exe do exist that are infected with the Magistr worm. Experts believe the email warnings did not originate as a hoax (i.e., as an intentional attempt to deceive anyone), but as an earnest effort to notify others of the potential threat. Q. Well, does that mean my computer could be infected, then? A. Yes, but it's highly unlikely. You could only be infected if you've received and downloaded a contaminated copy of Sulfnbk.exe as an email attachment. If you habitually practice safe computing — meaning you never download or execute unknown file attachments and you scan your hard drive regularly with up-to-date virus protection software — you should have nothing to worry about. Q. What should I do if I think I may have downloaded the bad file? A. Make sure your antivirus program has been recently updated, then scan for viruses. Your software should detect and clean the infected file automatically if it is there. Q. Do I have to do that before June 1 to be safe? A. No. The bit about the virus " going off " on June 1 is pure fiction. Q. I'm embarrassed to ask, but... What if I already followed the instructions in the email and deleted Sulfnbk.exe? How do I fix it? A. First, let this be a lesson to you! Never take for granted that the information you receive in forwarded emails is accurate. Always verify such information with an authoritative source before acting on it or forwarding it to others. That said, to restore the deleted file, follow the instructions given by antivirus expert Landesman here. Q. Is there anything else I should know? A. Just this: As a general rule, paying attention to forwarded email warnings is the worst way to try to protect yourself from viruses — and not just because the majority of virus warnings are hoaxes. In a sense, all virus warnings — even the accurate ones — are misleading, because they give the false impression that as long as you're watching out for file attachments with specific names you will be safe. The reality is that you put yourself at risk by downloading any executable file by any name (and some viruses are even designed to rename themselves or send themselves out under randomly varying names). Much, much, much more important than reading virus warnings are the simple measures of 1) always being very careful what you download, and 2) scanning your hard drive regularly. Q. Okay. Are you done lecturing now? A. Yes. Until the next time something like this happens — which, trust me, won't be long. Update: Real Virus Piggybacks on 'Hoax' Warning 06/04/01 - Antivirus experts say the destructive Magistr worm has been found attached to some copies of the Sulfnbk.exe warning message. We hope this goes without saying, but just in case: If you receive the warning, do not open any attachments that may arrive with it. For more information, see " Worm Sneaks Ride With June 1st Hoax " from ZDNN. Take the Poll: Did YOU delete the file? (You're not alone if you did.) More info: Sulfnbk.exe - When Hoaxes Harm Landesman tracks the early spread of the email Restoring Sulfnbk.exe What to do if you've deleted the file The Magistr Virus In rare cases, copies of Sulfnbk.exe have been found to be contaminated with this virus Symantec: Sulfnbk.exe Warning From Symantec's Antivirus Research Center The Sulfnbk.exe Hysteria Virus hoax expert Rob Rosenberger's curmudgeonly take on the spread of this " hoax " and aftermath Worms Sneaks Ride With June 1st Hoax June 4 update from ZDNN The Hoax That Cried Virus Why you should be wary of all those virus alerts in circulation __________________________________________________ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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