Varified & Documented

[Avery Todd]

List,

   See below for some pertinent comments.

Avery

>As we all know, virtually all of these things are hoaxes, however this
>one has been varified and documented to be the real thing.  Do with it
>as you will.  It is NOT a Virus, it will NOT damage your computer.  It
>IS a Trojan Horse that will make your on-line life miserable for a
>while.  It was forwarded to me by a couple of friends who are network
>administrators at major corporations.
>
>Danny Moore
>http://www.setexas.com/danmoore/
>
>Normally, I don't forward stuff like this on; however, I have
>encountered this one.
>
>Looks like there's a new "virus" on the scene.  Don't open an e-mail
>attachment called "picture.exe".  It installs 2 programs that when
>activated will search your disks for certain information and then
>e-mail it to an address in China.
>
>Read the hyperlinks below for more details!
>
>--> http://www.computerworld.com/home/news.nsf/CWFlash/9901074trojan
>
>--> http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2183935,00.html


---------------------------------------------
IS PICTURE.EXE REALLY WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS?
---------------------------------------------

An ugly little urban legend recently popped up that I felt deserved
squishing.

Imagine if your local TV newscaster warned you that

     This just in: The Beretta 92FS Centurion model pistol could pose
     a serious danger to you and your loved ones!  If you point the
     open end of a Beretta 92FS Centurion model pistol at another
     person and pull the trigger, you could seriously hurt or even
     kill that person.  So remember, beware of Beretta 92FS
     Centurion model pistols!

Obviously, this warning is pretty silly.  *EVERYONE* knows that if you
point a gun at someone and pull the trigger, you could (and probably
will) hurt that person.  This is true for *ALL* guns, regardless of the
gun's make or model.

Is our "Beretta warning" story accurate?  Technically, it is.  Pointing
a Beretta pistol at someone and pulling the trigger can indeed be
dangerous.  But, is the story newsworthy?  ABSOLUTLELY NOT!

Enter Bob Sullivan
------------------

On January 6th, MSNBC correspondent Bob Sullivan wrote an article
warning that

     If you receive an attachment in e-mail called "picture.exe,"
     donít open it. If you do, what happens next reads a bit like a
     spy novel  this Trojan horse drops two more programs called
     note.exe and manager.exe which will search through your internet
     cache directory and, if you have one, the directory that holds
     your America Online username and password. It then encrypts that
     information, tries to establish an Internet connection, and sends
     it all to an e-mail address in China.

     [quoted from http://www.msnbc.com/news/229572.asp]

Is Sullivan's article accurate?  Yes.  There is indeed a file called
"picture.exe" that contains [or at least *COULD* contain] a Trojan
horse.  Is Sullivan's article newsworthy?  HARDLY!

Password-stealing programs are nothing new.  According to Rob
Rosenberger at the Computer Virus Myths homepage
(http://www.kumite.com/myths/), "AOL has known about password-stealing
programs for *years*."  Even worse, there are several *BILLION* file
names out that that could contain a virus or a Trojan horse.
"Picture.exe" is just ONE of those file names.

How can you protect yourself from viruses and Trojan horses?

     1. Ignore every single warning that tells you to beware of a
        particular file name, even if that warning comes from MSNBC.
        Since several billion files names could conceivably contain a
        virus or a Trojan horse, warnings like these are an absolute
        waste of time.

     2. Purchase a good antivirus program at your local computer store
        and update your virus definitions often (look in the
        software's owners manual for instructions on how to update the
        definitions).

     3. In the words of Rob Rosenberger, "[b]eware any file sent by
        someone you don't know. Beware any file sent by someone you DO
        know."

And, of course, beware of Beretta 92FS Centurion model pistols!  :P

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