Goner Virus -- email virus wreaking havoc on web

www.mcafee.com ^ | December 4, 2001 | Christopher M. Hoss

[Mr. Jeeves]

I've just spent two hours cleaning it up. I have too many idiot users who can't remember not to open strange attachments.

[lowbridge]

Already been posted a couple times.

[Dog Gone]

Or people can just click on one of the other threads currently active about it, like this one.

[concerned about politics]

What does this one do?

[bwteim]

I have too many idiot users who can't remember not to open strange attachments.

Just curious, how do the "idiot" users rate their IT support?

[Uncle Fud]

Microsoft Outlook - the Typhoid Mary of software.

[xm177e2]

F--- I got a .scr file in my email...

[glock rocks]

Just curious, how do the "idiot" users rate their IT support?

doesn't matter. IT is the 911 that fools who have no personal responsibility call,
then usually complain about for not dropping their lunch to help.

sound familiar? sometimes i think some HUGE capacitors hooked up
to the help desk lines would be helpful.
it will be three days before the morons quit complaining, again.

that's why they pay us geeks the big bucks. right.

[wimpycat]

OUr company just got it. I saw the article on MSNBC.com AFTER we got it. Either the virus or our IT department have frozen up our Outlook. If it's sitting in my inbox, I can't get in there to delete it.

I've thwarted a couple of viruses at work before, but I think we're screwed this time.

[bwteim]

That's what kills me. How stupid do you have to be to know not to open attachments if you can't identify them? If you don't know a .jpg from a .doc from a .pif or an .exe than DON'T OPEN ANY ATTACHMENTS!

Why in the h&** does a user have to identify an ever changing array of file extensions in order to carry out the task at hand when all they are trying to do is answer some email or run some mail labels?
Technology is supposed to enable, not disable.

[clueless idiot]

The subject is "Hi" and the message text is:
---

How are you ?
When I saw this screen saver, I immediately thought about you
I am in a harry, I promise you will love it!

---

People who want to avoid attachment-borne virii but must use Microsoft LookOut should click here:

http://office.microsoft.com/ProductUpdates/

And download this patch:

Outlook 2000 SR-1: Extended E-mail Security Update (English version)

This will block executable attachments like .EXE, .VBS, .SCR et. al and cuts way down on the likelihood of infection.

[concerned about politics]

What the heck are the symptoms of this virus?

[bwteim]

doesn't matter. IT is the 911 that fools who have no personal responsibility call, then usually complain about for not dropping their lunch to help.

OK. I'll give you and Mr. Jeeves that. A lot of people are lazy. But the sin of "omission of personal responsibility " extends to more than computer users....

Perhaps one tactic is to ensure that IT and Personnel work together and hammer out a user agreement that says blah blah I understand that tech tools I am about to receive blah blah etc and if I don't do such and such is grounds for my section being billed for time and resources that IT wasted ....

[Mrs. P]

Here's a stupid question: How do I know what the file extension name is on a file attachment in Outlook Express?

[bwteim]

Glock rocks wrote:that's why they pay us geeks the big bucks. right.

And then (see my #15) maybe you'd get a pay raise...!
wishful thinking, huh? :)

[topher]

You must have it on your Hard Disk. If you open the attachment, it will spread on your system.

You have to use the "Find" function of Windows 95/98 or the "Search" function of NT/2000 to scan the hard disk for a file with the name GONE.SCR

You only have trouble with this one if you open the attachment. Some viruses/worms will spread without opening the attachment. Fortunately, this is not one of them.

[xm177e2]

It's not named "gone," and I got it from a German yesterday