Keim-web.com

The rash of computer/email viruses has not missed Mason. He seems to be currently infected with the virus.

Actually, Mason is not infected at all. However, if you are reading this message, you might be infected. I say this because someone who has his email address (mason@keim-web.com) does have the infection on their computer. Let me see if I can explain.

The virus is the W32.Sobig virus that has been causing so many problems on the internet lately

Basically, what has happened is this. Someone that has emailed Mason in the past and has his address in their address book has had their system compromised. The virus has taken Mason’s address and started emailing itself to other people in the address book making it look like it is coming from Mason. The links above describe the virus.

An infected message will look like this. It will have one of these subjects:

• Re: Movies
• Re: Sample
• Re: Document
• Re: Here is that sample

and one of these attachments:

• Movie_0074.mpeg.pif
• Document003.pif
• Untitled1.pif
• Sample.pif

I have tried to trace the source of the virus but have been unable to because the setup I use doesn’t allow a virus to very close to my network. However, I am seeing messages sent to Mason informing him of the virus.

So, do not open any unsolicited emails from Mason. He will only mail you if you mail him first. And do not open any suspect emails from anyone else even if it is someone you trust. It might not be coming from them at all. More than that, though, make sure you are running virus detection software and that it is up-to-date.

If you need a virus scanner, you might be able to get by with one of these free versions:

• AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition may be downloaded and installed on your computer. You will still need to periodically download updated virus descriptions so that the scanner knows what to look for when new viruses are released—the program will probably walk you through the process.
• BitDefender Free Online Virus Scan is a free online scanner that you access through Microsoft Internet Explorer. The one upshot of this scanner is that you would not have to update your virus definitions—it would do that for you. The drawback is that you probably have to remain online the entire time it scans your computer—something that might be inconvenient if you are on a phone modem connection.

I cannot vouch for the effectiveness or ease of use of either of these products. My best recommendation if you are running any Microsoft product is to go purchase some sort of virus protection. The fact is that Microsoft has 80-90% of the market and virus creators are targeting their products in order to have the greatest impact with their viruses. Another Must Do is to visit Windows Update and download and install a the critical updates and security updates you need (it will tell you which ones you need).

While the W32.Sobig virus is mostly a nuisance, some viruses may have the potential of stealing personal information from your machine. It’s better to be safe than sorry.