Date: Thu, 20 Jun 2002 11:04:26 -0400 (EDT) From: BCPL.NET SysAdmin To: BCPL.NET News Subject: BCPL.NET NEWS: The Current Virus Epidemic -------------------------- THE CURRENT VIRUS EPIDEMIC -------------------------- The Klez.H Worm described in BCPL.NET News on April 21 (see http://www.bcpl.net/news/news.20020421a.klez) continues to spread rapidly across the Internet, and we continue to see evidence of new Klez.H infections among BCPL.NET customers. In fact we are seeing so much Klez.H-infected e-mail originating from within BCPL.NET, it's no exaggeration to say Klez.H has become a VERY serious problem among our customers. Apparently many BCPL.NET customers don't take the virus threat seriously, and don't bother to protect their computers against infection. This is a BIG mistake. For general information on protecting your computer against virus infections, see the Virus section of the BCPL.NET FAQ at http://www.bcpl.net/faq/#virus . That section of the FAQ should be required reading for all BCPL.NET customers, even those who think they already know all there is to know on the subject. When we become aware of a new virus that poses a serious threat, we send out a BCPL.NET News message describing it. Pay attention! The health of your computer may depend on it. When we become aware that e-mail infected by viruses (Klez.H or other) seem to be originating from a BCPL.NET customer's computer, we examine our login records, mail server logs, and other logs to determine exactly whose computer is sending the messages. If we are able to show beyond a reasonable doubt that infected messages are being sent by a specific customer's computer, we inform that customer of the problem via e-mail. In recent weeks we have sent hundreds of warning messages, thanks to the rapid spread and persistent nature of the Klez.H Worm. The warning e-mails always have the following characteristics: From: ispadmin@bcpl.net Subject: VIRUS WARNING: Your PC Is Infected If after several such warnings your computer continues to send infected e-mail, the "Subject:" changes to: Subject: VIRUS WARNING: Please act on this NOW If even that doesn't seem to get your attention, the "Subject:" changes to: Subject: WARNING: Your Account Is In Danger Of Being Locked The first paragraph of the message describes how we determined that infected messages are coming from your computer. The second paragraph explains which virus has infected your computer. The remainder of the message provides information about that virus. It may also include links to more detailed information, including how to get rid of the virus. At the very bottom are the header and text of the infected message, plus a list of file attachments that came with the message. The actual file attachments are never included, to protect you from reinfection. If you receive one or more of these warning messages, DO NOT IGNORE IT! We do not send these out unless we are VERY sure that your computer is infected. Read the warning message and act on it promptly. If you don't your computer will continue to send out virus-infected e-mail, putting every recipient's computer at risk of infection. Depending on what virus has infected your computer, the virus may eventually make your computer unusable. If your computer continues to spread virus-infected e-mail even after we have sent you a large number of warnings, and if the virus is an especially dangerous one (Klez.H, for example), and if you ignore even our "WARNING: Your Account Is In Danger Of Being Locked" messages, then your account will be locked. If this happens to you, your account will remain locked until you call the Help Desk (410-887-3297) to report that your computer has been successfully disinfected. Obviously account locking is a very extreme measure, so we will use it only in very extreme cases. If your computer is spreading a virus and you ignore all our warning messages, this is the only way we can stop it. -- BCPL.NET INTERNET SERVICES 320 York Road Towson, MD 21204-5179 U.S.A. CONTACTS: -------- Web Site: http://www.bcpl.net Administration & Policy: ispadmin@bcpl.net 410-887-6180 Sales, Renewals, Account Status: accounts@bcpl.net 410-887-4172 Technical Support (Help Desk): help@bcpl.net 410-887-3297 Usenet News Newsgroup Requests news-admin@bcpl.net 410-887-6180 E-Mail & Newsgroup Abuse Reports: abuse@bcpl.net 410-887-6180 Domain Name Service Issues: dnsadmin@bcpl.net 410-887-6180 FAX: 410-887-2091