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Trojan horse uses McVeigh rumor for bait.
Users who thought they were accessing a bootleg video of Timothy McVeigh's execution
were actually downloading the 'SubSeven' Trojan horse.
This was the headline of a news release from Reuters June 14, 2001 7:57 AM ET
It reported that an Internet file supposedly showing a video of the execution of Timothy McVeigh was available for download from a website. In fact, the downloaded file contained a copy of the "SubSeven" Trojan horse, a harmful program that gives malicious hackers backdoor access to YOUR computer.This type of Trojan horse represents a group of Trojan programs which are considered among the most dangerous. It can sit there on your computer without your knowledge, allowing the hacker total access to your computer without you even knowing it. SubSeven can even turn on your microphone and listen to you (or anything in the room) and turn on your camera and view you. Access to all of your files is easy - once the program is activated by the hacker.
This example illustrates the latest attempt to trick computer users into doing something online that could be harmful. Virus writers are increasingly using unsophisticated techniques, often pre-created templates, to distribute malicious programs across the Internet. In addition, they are using enticing subject lines like the one above.
Most of these attempts are made via email where it is easy to dupe people into opening seemingly innocent email messages that are actually viruses or Trojans.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< HOW DO WE GUARD AGAINST THIS >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>The following steps will keep your computer safe from these attacks:
1) Use a good Virus scan software - one that scans your email and Internet download files at the time they are downloaded ...NOTE: MOST IMPORTANT - Keep the DAT file current. With over 500 new viruses discovered each month, new DAT files are released on an average of twice monthly.
Note: There are several good virus programs on the market. Our recommendation is McAfee's. You can get either the online protection, or the software at www.mcafee.com.Also highly recommended by many is the Norton AntiVirus program, which is available at www.symantec.com.
2) Use a good firewall. Good quality personal firewall protection will prevent hackers from entering your computer. In addition, in a situation as illustrated above, a good firewall will prevent a Trojan from sending information out to the hacker as well. We highly recommend ZoneAlarm from Zone Alarm Inc. The free (for personal computers) version can be downloaded at http://www.zonealarm.com.
3) Practice good virus and hacker prevention.DO NOT open files from unknown or suspicious sources.
Do NOT open files attached to emails even from a friend or acquaintance, unless you know what the file is. Some viruses are spread using a person's e-mail address book, while others use the in-box of a mail program. Your dearest friend may have been infected without knowing it, and is now spreading the virus from their address book.
Look for suspicious subject lines.
Delete chain letters and junk mail.
Do not download files from strangers.
Always be sure that sources for Internet downloads are legitimate and reliable.
Back up files on a regular basis. Store the back-ups away from your computer, if possible. That way, if you do get infected, you will always have the ability to restore the original files.
DO NOT EXECUTE .EXE FILES, unless you are certain that they are ok. Note: You can always download a file to a separate place on your hard drive, or to a separate disk and run virus scan on it.
Check your software vendors websites. Upgrades, with security patches are very common.If you have received an attachment or a file that contains a virus, the virus still has to be activated. If the file is not opened,
then you can not become infected. Downloaded virus or trojan files that have not been opened can simply be safely deleted. Normally, you must physically open a file by clicking (or double clicking) on it.NOTE: There is one exception to this rule. Email which has been previewed by your email client may, under certain circumstances, be automatically opened. We advise all of our clients to deactivate the preview feature in all email programs. To date, only the preview feature in the Microsoft Outlook email programs has done this, but we believe it is only a matter of time before it becomes more widespread.
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Last modified: October 06, 2006