I learned that when you suspect you have opened an email with a virus, your best bet is to unplug the computer. This stops the shutdown from happening and it’s that shutdown, reboot process that these viruses need in order to infect your computer. I don’t know if this really works, but it sound like in this case it might have.
As soon as the supposed virtual card is opened the computer freezes so
that the user has to reboot. When the ctrl+alt+delkeys or the reset
button are pressed, the virus destroys Sector Zero, thus permanently
destroying the hard disk.
That doesn’t sound right to me. Isn’t sector zero usually the MBR? It’s been a while since I had to actually do a manual repair of Hard Disk sectors, but if all this thing does is overwrite sector 0 with some alternate code, a fdisk /mbr should fix it right up. I’ve never heard of a Hard Disk that would allow it’s read/write heards to write something that would permanently destroy a sector or sectors.
Even if Office for the Mac was susceuptible to a macro virus, it’s likely written to destroy stuff on a Windows machine, thereby rendering it annoying but harmless on a Mac.
Even if Office for the Mac was susceuptible to a macro virus, it’s likely written to destroy stuff on a Windows machine, thereby rendering it annoying but harmless on a Mac.
Not necesarily true. Also it will still likely propagate if they are using outlook.
I first saw that one years ago. As far as I know, hard drives have no ‘sector zero’.
Most idiots dont know that
Really?
Hard Disk Drives do in fact have a sector 0. It’s really Sector 0, Head 0, Platter 0; but anyways. That’s where the Master Boot Record is normally stored.
And yes this is a hoax, just a I stated in my first post, the whole thing doesn’t make any sense both because having “sector 0” overwritten is usually really easy to fix, and a hard drive read/write head can’t permanently damage a HDD sector during a read/write function unless it actually “crashes” into the platter.
Even if Office for the Mac was susceuptible to a macro virus, it’s likely written to destroy stuff on a Windows machine, thereby rendering it annoying but harmless on a Mac.
Not necesarily true. Also it will still likely propagate if they are using outlook.
What harm would it do? I have yet to even hear of a virus that worked on both a Mac and a Windows machine.
I have a dual boot Linux/Windows system. So my MBR contains the boot menu loader. If that were to ever get destroyed by a virus, it’s a simple thing to boot from a boot disk and reinstall it.
As far as virus affecting both mac and pc...Check this out.
The MelissaW macro virus affects BOTH Macintosh and Windows machines running Microsoft Word 97, 98, 2000, and 2001. This virus can arrive in an email attachment named “Anniv.doc,” or in any Word document that comes from an infected computer.
Just about any macro virus based in an application that runs on both windows and mac could affect/infect both types of machines. While not a ‘traditional’ form of virus, it is effective none the less.
Yes, I understand something like a Word doc with a macro could affect Word (because the macro would run) on both Windows and Mac, but what harm would it do?
Yes, I understand something like a Word doc with a macro could affect Word (because the macro would run) on both Windows and Mac, but what harm would it do?
Corrupt data files.
Really no virus I’ve ever seen can actually harm a computer, they can only harm data. Of course that’s what backups are for after all.
If you want to keep believing you’re immune because you’re running a Mac, go right ahead. Of course it might be worth noting some of the very first viruses were written for an Apple product.
Yes, I understand something like a Word doc with a macro could affect Word (because the macro would run) on both Windows and Mac, but what harm would it do?
Corrupt data files.
Really no virus I’ve ever seen can actually harm a computer, they can only harm data. Of course that’s what backups are for after all.
There have been some viruses that were able to exploit vulnerabilitys in hardware/CMOS and able to physically damage or destroy computers. Some (hopefully older) hard drives may be vulnerable to illegal seek commands that cause the head to bang against the edge.
If you want to keep believing you’re immune because you’re running a Mac, go right ahead. Of course it might be worth noting some of the very first viruses were written for an Apple product.
I really hate when people do this in arguments, make up stuff that was never said and try to pass it off as if I said it. I never said nor implied Macs were immune. I also never stated I’m running a Mac. In fact, right now I’m not, I’m on a Win2k machine. I simply said I have never seen or heard of a virus that can do damage to both a Mac and a Windows PC. How does a virus know where to find the data files? The file structure and underlying OS are completely different. That’s not to say it’s impossible, but I’ve yet to see it.
I’ve never had a virus on any of my personal computers. I’ve owned computers for almost 30 years.
For me it’s a shorter period of time, but I’ve never had a virus on my comp either....
I think the reason why more people with win machines would get viruseses is because people who know nothing about computers are more likely to have windows than linux or a mac—you know, the types of people who open email attachments or who click on the drop down menus in banners ads ;-)
It is trojans that people should be worried about. Almost every computer I work on these days has a trojan.
If you know how to examine your registry, (if you don’t I ain’t telling you because you can destroy Windows if you don’t know what you’re doing) , look at the HKEY/Local Computer/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version/Run key.
If you see it referencing a file that is in the Windows or Windows/System 32 folders (or no folder, it should sually 98% of the time only reference the C:\Program Files folder) then you have a trojan.
A typical one looks like: C:\Windows\Nwiz.exe
If you need help removing it, call a professional; or backup your registry and data and get knowledgebase article help.
The way to prevent them is:
1) Create a complex password (a non-dictionary) for all the accounts, especially the built-in administrator account.
2) Install XP Sevice Pack 2, and all the other critical updates, and enable automatic updates and the firewall.
3) Get antivirus. (For a free one go to grisoft.com)
4) Get off that Kazaa and Grokster crap and start buying real software you cheapskate. Those file sharing networks leave you wide frickin’ open to attack.
(If anybody needs any advice on this, you can email me, see my profile)
