------------------ READ THIS BEFORE OPENING PACKAGE: According to Certain Suggested Versions of the Grand Unified Theory, the Primary Particles Constituting this Product May Decay to Nothingness Within the Next Four Hundred Million Years.
posted
Very informative, all except question #16, what's that about? Some connection between The Simpsons and Melissa, does anybody know what this connection supposedly is?
------------------ "Sometimes you get the bear, and sometimes the bear gets you." -Commander Riker, USS Enterprise
posted
Y'know what I never figured out? When this started, the article in the newspaper said that each time the virus propagated, it sent out 50 copies of the e-mail infected. Now, who exactly is it sending to? Does it somehow manage to come up w/ 50 random e-mail addresses? I doubt it...
And there's one easy way to avoid this: Don't open attachments when you don't know what they are!
------------------ "About as useful as a narcoleptic rickshaw driver." -James Lileks
posted
TSN: I heard on the news that it accesses your address book on Microsoft Outlook Express, and sends itself to those email addresses (or at least the first fifty), although I don't know if it can also use the equivalent address books of other email programs...
------------------ "Sometimes you get the bear, and sometimes the bear gets you." -Commander Riker, USS Enterprise
From what I understand, Melissa propagates by accessing Outlook's address book and using the first 50 addys to send out copies of itself.
It doesn't do this unless you open the file. A little bit of healthy paranoia will prevent Melissa from spreading. Once you update your antivirus proggy, scan any file you receive if you plan to open it, BEFORE you open it.
------------------ READ THIS BEFORE OPENING PACKAGE: According to Certain Suggested Versions of the Grand Unified Theory, the Primary Particles Constituting this Product May Decay to Nothingness Within the Next Four Hundred Million Years.
posted
Just heard on the news that they arrested the guy who (they believe) programmed the Melissa virus. Don't quite remember his name, but I hope they lock him up for a good while if they find him guilty.
------------------ "Sometimes you get the bear, and sometimes the bear gets you." -Commander Riker, USS Enterprise
[This message was edited by Chimaera on April 02, 1999.]
posted
Yeah, I don't recall his name either, but I think they caught him in New Jersey. He's being charged w/ something like "interfering w/ public communications", which apparently carries a rather long sentence...
Oh, and if it uses Outlook's address book, doesn't that mean that it can't affect you if you don't use Outlook? That one thing suggested that, even if you don't use it, having Outlook installed would allow it to propagate. But, if you haven't got any addresses in Outlook's address book, who's it going to send itself to? *rhetorical question*
------------------ "About as useful as a narcoleptic rickshaw driver." -James Lileks
"Golly! He named some malicious software after me? And to think I can't pick his face out from the crowd!"
------------------ COMPONENT EQUIVALENCY NOTICE: The Subatomic Particles(Electrons, Protons, etc.) Comprising This Product Are Exactly the Same in Every Measurable Respect as Those Used in the Products of Other Manufacturers, and No Claim to the Contrary May Legitimately Be Expressed or Implied.
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