new virus - question

[nycsc4 5,250]

hello, i have a question.

Tomorrow the Kuma Sutra virus is supposed to be released.  they say if your computer is infected you will loose everything from excel files to system files, probally including sc4 files.  I want to back my stuff and cities up.  do i just need to back up the plugins folder from my documents, or do the files from program files need to be backed up too.  please let me know asap, i need to get all my stuff backed up by 11:59 tonight.  Thanks for your help in advanced.

[DuskTrooper 314]

YAY! Another bogus virus threat! Please state your source(s).

[nycsc4 5,250]

CNN

EDIT: DuskTrooper, fake or no fake i would like an answer anyway.  just in case something were to happen to my computer. 

[DuskTrooper 314]

Date: 2/2/2006 10:24:37 PM
Author: nycsc4
CNN

quote>

Just like the last bogus virus alert.

[nycsc4 5,250]

sorry DT, fake or no fake, i would rather not loose all my stuff, just a precaution, you can never be too safe, just answer the question please.

[Thut 0]

only plugin folder, program files you can get back from your cd

[wafgking 22]

People don't release viruses.  They appear by suprise.  There is not fixed date.  If a group were to announce a date for releasing a virus they would be arrested and sent to your home.

You should probably back up your whole hard drive, because I think there are some hidden files that may make it impossilble for you to get anything to work again.  I'm sorry, I just can't keep from laughing.  I'm so helpful

[DuskTrooper 314]

well, there is a story on CNN

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/internet/01/31/kamasutraworm/index.html

However, if you don't open these dirty emails, you don't have anything to worry about.

I don't.

[nycsc4 5,250]

Date: 2/2/2006 10:34:41 PM Author: Thut only plugin folder, program files you can get back from your cd

quote>

thank you for your help.

 

a modd can now close this topic.

[nycsc4 5,250]

Date: 2/2/2006 10:36:47 PM Author: DuskTrooper well, there is a story on CNN http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/internet/01/31/kamasutraworm/index.html However, if you don't open these dirty emails, you don't have anything to worry about. I don't.

quote>

neither do i

thanks DT.

[MayorTim 16]

Your My Documents plugins folder probably contains most of your plugins - everything you downloaded from the STEX. The Program Files directory contains everything needed for SC4 to run, and also contains simcity.com Landmarks, as well as a few of the older STEX modds.

You could get away with just your my docs, since either way you would have to reinstall the game.

Also, by Back Up you will have to save your files to a CD, DVD, or external HD. Simply making a copy of your files on the desktop or something wont help in any way.

BTW: DT: This actually IS a virus. I have been following it for several weeks. If it were only CNN I wouldn't care, but everyone from Microsoft, to PCworld, to McAfee, to Symantec, to PCMag have all recognized this as an actual virus, that has already infected computers.

Every 3rd day of every month the virus is programmed to delete almost every file on the infected computers hard drive.

[Xyloxadoria 1,099]

if they said it would be relased (bougs) then the athuroties would stop it and it would not be a threat. But if you think it is a threat get a cdr or cdrw and burn files to it or e-mail youslf the files and they wil be there after tis so called virus is over

 

[jelloboi 0]

For those who wanted sources, the information is readily available on the internet. You guys should really look stuff up before laughing at people for asking a real qustion.

Symantec
GriSoft (AVG)
CNN
MSNBC

Now, go to those links, and don't be so harsh towards people.

J~

[nycsc4 5,250]

MayorTim, jelloboi - THANK YOU for understanding!!!

and i have an external hd

 

[offgreen 1]

Thats an e-mail worm. This malicious software entices computer users with promises of sexy pictures, with e-mail subject lines ranging from School girl fantasies gone bad to Hot Movie to Crazy illegal Sex! and Kama Sutra pics. -CNN

 

So lay off the porn adds in your bulk folder and you'll be fine.

[nycsc4 5,250]

Date: 2/2/2006 10:58:30 PM Author: offgreen

Thats an e-mail worm. 'This malicious software entices computer users with promises of sexy pictures, with e-mail subject lines ranging from 'School girl fantasies gone bad' to 'Hot Movie' to 'Crazy illegal Sex!' and 'Kama Sutra pics.' -CNN

So lay off the porn adds in your bulk folder and you'll be fine.

quote>

i read that too.  i don't get porn adds now, so if i do get one i will know what it is for.

[sendarrow 3]

Yeah, I read about that Kama (or Kuma) sutra thing on Google news. The only advice is not to watch porn...

[ILuvSnakMachines 0]

Date: 2/2/2006 10:35:10 PM
Author: wafgking

People don't 'release' viruses. They appear by suprise. There is not fixed date. If a group were to announce a date for releasing a virus they would be arrested and sent to your home.

You should probably back up your whole hard drive, because I think there are some 'hidden' files that may make it impossilble for you to get anything to work again. I'm sorry, I just can't keep from laughing. I'm so 'helpful'

quote>

You're incorrect. People do not have specific release dates for viri (plural, right??) but when a virus is on your machine, they can remain dormant for a given time. I don't remember what virus did this, but it installed itself on your computer (after you ran the infected file, of course).
Then, at scehduled times, all of its infected zombie machines would DDOS (denial of service attack) a certain domain.

The code was encrypted (but later broken) as to hide the virus' attack date.

EDIT:
http://www.techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4966
Sober worm cracked - If you don't believe me.

[pnorrell 4]

Date: 2/2/2006 10:38:17 PM Author: nycsc4

Date: 2/2/2006 10:34:41 PM Author: Thut only plugin folder, program files you can get back from your cd

quote>

thank you for your help.

a modd can now close this topic.

quote>

Just to add one thing nycsc4: you should back up your regions folder too, if you don't want to lose your cities.

[Resender 18]

this virus seems to have a been a build in timer date checker
it checks of your system has reached the 3th day of erach month
it then deletes all Office documents no matter where they are on you're PC + it allso deletes 6 random files
it backuped nearly 80 gigs of data (of the 400g of HD space i got)

[jacqulina 162]

i read the virus actually writes over everyfile  with one of its own on the 3rd of every month

[xcalbier 43]

People people dont worry this vires is KNOWN and as long as you have a good antivirse program you dont need to worry.

   becides does everone just open emails from places you dont know? or people you dont know?

I only ever got 1 vires from a email back when I was still new to the net and the only reasion I opened it was because it had a friends name .(BUT) the rest dident match .and wile I thought that was strange i still dident know enough about how it worked and opened the email.

  Of corse I know I dident know and had nortion to stop it .But boy was I surprised.

the point being check ever part of the email befor you open it.

  I mean the porn ones are easy to spot.(were have you been surfing) lol

but a friends pc that was infectec then passes more emails around under his name is harder but NOT immpossible to spot.

   like this (myfriend@ aol.com) as an excample now looks like this (myfriend @goto.org)

the difference being the last part. (alest thats what the email vires I once and only once got looked like .

  (except the name was different of corse.

[hym 358]

I read that it just attacks Word, Excel, Access, Powerpoint, Photoshop, and Acrobat files.

[hammo 2]

The virus overwrites files, specifically Microsoft Office files, which is a perfectly simple virus. Basically by overwriting the contents of a Microsoft Office file with anything, like the word HELLO, it will render the file useless and you won't be able to open it. Also, unlike deleted files there is no ORIGINAL copy to restore, as the original is the copy being overwritten.

The virus is being blown out of all proportion and is more than likely just a leaked piece of information to cause this very sort of panic.

Simple solution: DO NOT OPEN EMAILS FROM AN UNTRUSTED SOURCE AND NEVER RUN ATTACHMENTS IN EMAILS UNLESS YOU KNOW THE PERSON AND THE FILE.

[dev 47]

Hasn't affected me...I guess that might be because I don't open Virus infected porn e-mails...

[Voar Tok 4]

Since it has already been said you need to backup the plugins folder and your regions folder, I'll just stick to this info about viruses.

People do sometimes give release dates for viruses that they make.  Every once in a while, it turns out to be false, but what most people don't realize is that the majority of the time that a virus is given a release date, the thing is actually true.  Not that long ago, a virus was released that was supposed to attack Microsoft.  The maker of the virus told Microsoft that the thing was going to attack on a specific day, and he even told MS how it was going to make its attack.  Given all of that information, MS prepared itself for the inevitable and tried to seal all of the security holes.  Despite everything that they did, the virus still managed to get through and do some damage.  Why did he tell MS that the virus was coming and how it was going to make its attack?  Because he was confident that MS wasn't going to be able to stop his virus, and he was partially right.

 

Nowadays, any decently designed virus doesn't require you to open an email attachment, just the email itself.  Everyone says to just not open any attachments that you don't recognize.  Yeah, that will stop a lot of viruses, but that won't stop the viruses that are actually worth the trouble that the creator went to in making it.  In other words, the viruses that will actually nix your computer probably don't need you to do anything.  People discovered several years ago how to make viruses that can propagate by various means.  Example: the Nimda virus.  Now the goal of virus makers is to take out the anti-virus programs that everyone so diligently hides behind.  The Kama Sutra virus does exactly that.  One of its chief goals is to take out Norton Anti-Virus.  Norton is most predominantly used in Italy, Peru, and India (from what I have read) and these are the countries that are expected to take the hardest blows from this virus.

 

One final word before I quit.  Everyone needs to keep their anti-virus programs up-to-date.  That means looking for updates every day.  The hackers and virus makers of the world haven't totally figured out how to subvert anti-virus programs yet, and anyone that has updated their anti-virus in the last week is probably protected.  Other than that, use common sense.

[hammo 2]

Everyone says to just not open any attachments that you don't recognize. Yeah, that will stop a lot of viruses, but that won't stop the viruses that are actually worth the trouble that the creator went to in making it.

When specifically referring to the Kama Sutra worm you DO need to open an attachment in order to run the script so not opening attachments in e-mails in this case is the exact right thing to do.

Like I have said, this worm has been blown out of all proportion and doesn't warrant the worry it seems to be causing. End of the matter.

[dev 47]

Indeed^ I just heard on the news that so far only 10 computers in all of Asia have been affected...it was supposed to have the most damage made there...

[Voar Tok 4]

Date: 2/3/2006 11:50:56 AM Author: hammo Everyone says to just not open any attachments that you don't recognize.  Yeah, that will stop a lot of viruses, but that won't stop the viruses that are actually worth the trouble that the creator went to in making it. When specifically referring to the 'Kama Sutra' worm you DO need to open an attachment in order to run the script so not opening attachments in e-mails in this case is the exact right thing to do. Like I have said, this worm has been blown out of all proportion and doesn't warrant the worry it seems to be causing. End of the matter.

quote>

After some further checking, I agree that the worm is definitely not nearly as bad as predicted.  There is a rule of thumb that I once ran across that was published by a former virus maker-turned anti-virus software engineer.

 

If the hype says that it will destroy everything on your computer, then you can be pretty confident that it is a falacy.  However, if the creator of the virus starts to give out release dates and other stuff like that, be prepared - the creator is either properly confident of his work, or really stupid.

 

In this case, it turns out that the guy who made this thought his virus was WAY more powerful than it really was, but it's best to back the fiels up anyway (besides, people ought to do that anyway).

[Constantina 5]

My computer was not affected.

... In other words, some viruses may have a restricted catchment area. A virus, for example might reformatt your system, but only if your regional setting was set to a certain country. The problem about viruses, is that it can be based on any criteria, from regional settings to the type of browser you use. Scary.