RE: Re: That movie (OT virus information)

[Guest guest]

These virus files are coming in as <*.pif> files. Windows uses these files

for program settings, and the files automatically run when they are opened.

This virus is set to access your email/address book. This does NOT mean that

you should scan your system for any/all .pif files. You WILL find them on

your system, and you should not randomly delete them. If you do, the

programs they are associated with will not run. If your system has been

infected, most likely the only cure is to reformat your hard drive, and

reinstall your OS (Windows), and all your software, so hopefully, you have a

backup of your files. This virus has many names, all ending in .pif. I can

tell you it is " thatmovie.pif " and the next jerk to come along and send it

just has to change the file name to something else ending in .pif. There is

absolutely no reason for someone to email a .pif file to you, so if you

don't have virus software installed, and you don't know for certain if

someone you know has sent you a bonafide attachment or not, just look at the

file extension. If it's .pif (or .exe, or .inf, for that matter), DON'T OPEN

IT. And RUN to the Symantec (

http://www.symantecstore.com/dr/sat2/ec_MAIN.Entry17c?CID=48782 & SID=27674 & SP

=10007 & PN=5 & PID=367322 & DSP= & CUR=840 & PGRP=0 & CACHE_ID=48782) or McAfee

(http://us.mcafee.com/root/product.asp?productid=vs7) website and download

virus software. You can pay for it online. Or not...and then you'll pay for

it by having to overhaul your computer.

Jac

Life is not a spectator sport

Picture It Digital Designs <http://www.pictureitdigitaldesigns.com>

XXX Farm Paint Horses <http://members.cox.net/xxxfarmpaints>

Mail to: jholdaway@...

>

[Guest guest]

You absolutely DO NOT need to reformat your hard drive and reinstall

Windows to get rid of this or any other virus. Any good virus scanner

with current signature files can remove the virus from your system. I

highly recommend that you visit the http://www.microsoft.com/security

Web site for further information about these and other issues, and

suggestions for how to resolve them. Unfortunately, no matter how hard

we work, the hackers create viruses continually, and protecting your

computer is a fact of life. It's a bummer sometimes, just like safe sex,

:-) but it's important that we all do it.

Here's the relevant part of the information that Jim Allchin, Group Vice

President, distributed to all Microsoft staff (myself included) on

Friday. Hope this helps!

Ziobro

Open RNY 09/17/01

310/126/140 (goal was 160)

Then/lowest/now

http://www.ziobro.us/Blogger/WLS.html

Message from Jim follows:

PS. For more information about this particular " Blaster worm " , you can

point your friends and family to www.microsoft.com/security.

________________________________________________________________________

__

Here is what to do to get protected and stay protected.

First, turn on the Internet Connection Firewall in Windows XP. Having

the firewall activated will protect your computer from this security

issue as well as many many others. Even if your computer has already

been infected, activating firewall software will help limit the effects

of the worm on your computer.

The fine print: If you have multiple machines, you should use the Home

network configuration wizard. In the multiple machine case, only the

Internet-facing computer (the computer attached to the Internet directly

and not the other computers in the home that share the Internet

connection) should have the firewall enabled via the instructions below.

Please note that the firewall can disable some Internet software,

services and features. However, if this happens, you can selectively

correct these issues by adjusting how the firewall works. For the vast

majority of users this change will be totally transparent. Your email

and browsing experience, for example, should not be impacted in any way.

In some cases you may have to " open a port " for a feature to work. I

don't describe how to alter those secondary settings here. If you run

servers in your house, etc., then you are technical enough that this

message isn't intended for you. If you experience any changes to your

Internet software, services or features, please call 1-866-PCSAFETY if

you can't figure it out or check our web site for more information.

The instructions:

1. Open Network Connections (Click Start, click Control Panel, and

then double-click Network Connections.)

2. Click to select the Dial-up, LAN or High-Speed Internet

connection that you want to protect.

3. In the task pane on the left, under Network Tasks, click Change

settings of this connection. (Or, within the Network Connections folder,

right-click on the connection that you want to protect and then click

Properties.)

4. On the Advanced tab, under Internet Connection Firewall, select

the Protect my computer and network by limiting or preventing access to

this computer from the Internet check box.

If you are not running Windows XP, you will need to install a

third-party firewall. Most firewall software for home users is

available in free or trial versions. Check the following resources for

more information on personal firewalls:

o ZoneAlarm Pro

(http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/catalog/products/zap/zap_details.

jsp)

o Tiny Personal Firewall

(http://www.tinysoftware.com/home/tiny2?la=EN)

o Outpost Firewall

(http://www.agnitum.com/download/outpostfree.html)

o Kerio Personal Firewall

(http://www.kerio.com/us/kpf_download.html)

o BlackICE PC Protection

(http://blackice.iss.net/product_pc_protection.php)

Second, configure AutoUpdate for Windows Update for Windows XP. While

your computer is connected to the Internet, the Automatic Updates

feature in Windows XP looks for updates and downloads any that are

available. By using the scheduled downloads feature, you will automate

the essential second step of actually installing the updates once they

are downloaded (and not see those pop-up balloon reminders).

1. Open System Properties (Click Start, click Control Panel, click

Performance and Maintenance, click the System icon to open the System

Properties dialogue box. (If the Performance and Maintenance category is

not visible, click Switch to Category View under Control Panel on the

left side of the Control Panel window)

2. Click the Automatic Updates tab. If the check box next to Keep my

computer up to date is clear, click it to select it.

3. Schedule Regular Installs. On the Automatic Updates tab, under

Settings, click Automatically download the updates, and install them on

the schedule that I specify. From the lists provided, select a day and

time for your computer to install downloaded updates. Be sure to pick a

day and time when your computer is usually turned on.

4. Click OK to apply your changes and close the dialog box.

If you are not running Windows XP, you can still use Windows Update.

More information on downloading updates can be found at

www.microsoft.com/security

Third, use antivirus software and make sure you have the latest updates

installed. These software packages can help you deal with attacks of

different forms (e.g., email viruses).

* If you already have antivirus software installed, go to your

antivirus vendor's Web site to get the latest updates, also known as

virus definitions.

* If you do not have antivirus software installed, then you should

consider getting it. The following vendors participating in the

Microsoft Virus Information Alliance (VIA) offer antivirus products for

home users:

o Network Associates

(http://us.mcafee.com/root/catalog.asp?catid=av)

o Trend Micro

(http://www.trendmicro.com/en/products/desktop/pc-cillin/evaluate/overvi

ew.htm)

o Symantec (http://www.symantec.com/product/index_homecomp.html)

RE: Re: That movie (OT virus information)

These virus files are coming in as <*.pif> files. Windows uses these

files for program settings, and the files automatically run when they

are opened.

This virus is set to access your email/address book. This does NOT mean

that you should scan your system for any/all .pif files. You WILL find

them on your system, and you should not randomly delete them. If you do,

the programs they are associated with will not run. If your system has

been infected, most likely the only cure is to reformat your hard drive,

and reinstall your OS (Windows), and all your software, so hopefully,

you have a backup of your files. This virus has many names, all ending

in .pif. I can tell you it is " thatmovie.pif " and the next jerk to come

along and send it just has to change the file name to something else

ending in .pif. There is absolutely no reason for someone to email a

..pif file to you, so if you don't have virus software installed, and you

don't know for certain if someone you know has sent you a bonafide

attachment or not, just look at the file extension. If it's .pif (or

..exe, or .inf, for that matter), DON'T OPEN IT. And RUN to the Symantec

(

http://www.symantecstore.com/dr/sat2/ec_MAIN.Entry17c?CID=48782 & SID=2767

4 & SP

=10007 & PN=5 & PID=367322 & DSP= & CUR=840 & PGRP=0 & CACHE_ID=48782) or McAfee

(http://us.mcafee.com/root/product.asp?productid=vs7) website and

download virus software. You can pay for it online. Or not...and then

you'll pay for it by having to overhaul your computer.

Jac