rjd@cs.brown.edu (Rob Demillo) (02/13/90)
If this has been brought up before, I apologize, but... There was a virus contained in the first 100 to 150 disks of the $10 upgrade to Pagestrem 1.8. (If you purchased the $25.00 upgrade, this does not pertain to you.) This is directly from the horse's mouth, as it were...the statement was issued by SoftLogik, Inc. to the ST Report. It the statement it is refered to as the "key virus." (Anyone hear of this?) Any of the anti-virus programs should take care of it, but Soft Logik is, of course, exchanging disks if you are nervous. Please contact Soft Logik, as I have no further information beyond that. - Rob DeMillo | Internet: rjd@brown.cs.edu Brown University | BITnet: DEMILLO%BRNPSG.SPAN@STAR.STANFORD.EDU Planetary Science Group | Reality: 401-273-0804 (home) "I say you *are* the Messiah, Lord! And I ought to know, I've followed a few!"
woodside@ttidca.TTI.COM (George Woodside) (02/13/90)
In article <28923@brunix.UUCP> rjd@cs.brown.edu (Rob Demillo) writes: ...[edited]... >This is directly from the horse's mouth, as it were...the statement >was issued by SoftLogik, Inc. to the ST Report. It the statement it >is refered to as the "key virus." (Anyone hear of this?) Any of the >anti-virus programs should take care of it, but Soft Logik is, >of course, exchanging disks if you are nervous. The "KEY" virus is the most widespread virus in the USA. That is because it displays no symptoms, it only spreads. It represents two dangers: 1) It spreads to every disk that passes through the ST while the virus is active, thus wiping out existing executable boot sectors on disks which must have them. This can render a disk which must be self-booting useless. 2) It is called the "KEY" virus because, once installed in a system, it checks every passing disk for a "KEY" value in the boot sector. If it locates one, it will cause the execution of whatever code is on that disk, even if the machine is not being powered up or reset at the time the "KEY" disk is located. There have been no episodes of a "KEY" disk being located reported, to date. That doesn't mean they don't exist. That only means that I haven't heard of them, or the victim of whatever the "KEY" did was not aware of the cause (which is quite likely, if such an event has occurred). Every virus killer I've seen (or written, of course) will eradicate this virus. -- * George R. Woodside - Citicorp/TTI - Santa Monica, CA * * Path: woodside@ttidca * * or: ..!{philabs|csun|psivax}!ttidca!woodside *
csbrod@medusa.informatik.uni-erlangen.de (Claus Brod ) (02/15/90)
woodside@ttidca.TTI.COM (George Woodside) writes: >The "KEY" virus is the most widespread virus in the USA. That is >because it displays no symptoms, it only spreads. It represents The KEY virus is known in Europe as the BPL or Signum virus.
silvert@cs.dal.ca (William Silvert) (02/17/90)
In article <9906@ttidca.TTI.COM> woodside@ttidcb.tti.com (George Woodside) writes: >In article <28923@brunix.UUCP> rjd@cs.brown.edu (Rob Demillo) writes: >...[edited]... >>This is directly from the horse's mouth, as it were...the statement >>was issued by SoftLogik, Inc. to the ST Report. It the statement it >>is refered to as the "key virus." (Anyone hear of this?) Any of the >>anti-virus programs should take care of it, but Soft Logik is, >>of course, exchanging disks if you are nervous. > >The "KEY" virus is the most widespread virus in the USA. That is >because it displays no symptoms, it only spreads. It represents >two dangers: >1) It spreads to every disk that passes through the ST while the >virus is active, thus wiping out existing executable boot sectors >on disks which must have them. This can render a disk which must >be self-booting useless. > >2) It is called the "KEY" virus because, once installed in a >system, it checks every passing disk for a "KEY" value in the >boot sector. If it locates one, it will cause the execution of >whatever code is on that disk, even if the machine is not being >powered up or reset at the time the "KEY" disk is located. There >have been no episodes of a "KEY" disk being located reported, to >date. That doesn't mean they don't exist. That only means that >I haven't heard of them, or the victim of whatever the "KEY" did >was not aware of the cause (which is quite likely, if such an event >has occurred). > >Every virus killer I've seen (or written, of course) will eradicate >this virus. > >-- >* George R. Woodside - Citicorp/TTI - Santa Monica, CA * >* Path: woodside@ttidca * >* or: ..!{philabs|csun|psivax}!ttidca!woodside * -- Bill Silvert, Habitat Ecology Division. Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, NS, Canada B2Y 4A2 UUCP: ...!{uunet,watmath}!dalcs!biomel!bill Internet: bill%biomel@cs.dal.CA BITNET: bill%biomel%dalcs@dalac