"I Love You" bug

[Robert Goodale]

The virus that has been mentioned on this list is in fact real.  It is NOT a hoax.
I have heard about it on the radio and also received the following message from the
computer networking folks at the university.

Rob Goodale, RPT
Las Vegas, NV






UNLV Official wrote:

> ---------------------- Forwarded by Office of Information Technology
> Official/UNLV on 05/04/2000 10:51 AM ---------------------------
>
> Systems & Applications
> 05/04/2000 09:54 AM
>
> To:   Office of Information Technology Official/UNLV@UNLV
> cc:
> Subject:  New Virus Alert!
>
> ILOVEYOU e-mail worm invades PCs!
>
> This Melissa-like e-mail worm, bearing the title ILOVEYOU,' is sweeping through
> Asia and has been reported in the U.S. and the UK.
>
> A scan of the visual basic code included in the attachment reveals that the
> virus may be corrupting MP3, and JPEG files on users' hard
> drives as well as mIRC (a version of Internet Relay Chat). It also appears to
> reset the default start page for Internet Explorer.
>
> The e-mail message arrives with the subject line "ILOVEYOU" and asks the user to
>  open an attachment called
> "LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.TXT.vbs."  Some email programs will suppress the ".vbs"
> extension, making the attachment seem like
> an innocuous text file. It is actually a Visual Basic script that uses the
> Windows Scripting Host to perform several actions, including
> dropping two script files into the system directory that execute each time the
> system boots.
>
> The virus also tries to download a file called WIN-BUGSFIX.exe from the Internet
>  and use Outlook's address book to send copies
> of itself to everyone in it. This part works only with Outlook users, and does
> not affect outlook 97 or Outlook Express.
>
> According to virus experts, the WIN-BUGSFIX.exe file scans the user's memory for
>  network passwords and attempts to
> send them to the virus creator.
>
> Five easy steps to protect your PC from viruses and worms:
>
> 1. Get protected.  You should have virus protection software on your PC.  If you
>  have not taken the time to do so, please visit this
> site http://get the URL and download the virus protection software.  If you need
>  access to the site, please contact Systems & Applications
> at 1389.
>
> 2. Update your antivirus software.  Once you have the protection on your PC you
> need to keep it current by downloading the virus update
> files.  These files address newly created viruses.
>
> 3. Scan your PC regularly with your virus protection software.  Make it a habit
> to scan your PC to protect your work.
>
> 4. "Be suspicious of e-mail attachments.  Even if the e-mail is from a known
> source, be careful. A few viruses take the mailing lists
> from an infected computer and send out new messages with its destructive payload
>  attached. Always scan the attached files
> first for viruses. Unless it's a file or an image you are expecting, delete it."
>
> 5. Stay informed.  There are new viruses and bugs created every day.  To stay
> current on these you can visit
> http://www.zdnet.com/zdhelp/filters/subfilter/0,7212,6001787,00.html - ZDNet's
> Bugs, Viruses, Security Alerts page.
>
> Five easy steps By Robert Vamosi at
> http://www.zdnet.com/zdhelp/stories/main/0,5594,2425285,00.html, please see this
>  web-site for
> the full article.
>
> For more detailed information on the ILOVEYOU worm, please see
> http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2561671,00.html?chkpt=zdhpnews01
>
> Systems & Applications
>
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