walker@AEDC-VAX.AF.MIL (William Walker C60223 x4570) (05/08/91)
I haven't yet read enough of the back issues of VIRUS-L, so please excuse what duplication I may make. I have just run across (and cleaned up) the MusicBug virus from the factory-supplied SVGA disks for a Packard Bell computer. The virus was on both disks of the set. Also, the virus was NOT on any of the other disks which came with the computer. Fortunately, the user had not used the disks yet. These disks were labelled simply "SVGA." I have also checked the disks which came with another user's Packard Bell computer, but found no virii. These disks were labelled "16 Bit VGA Card" or "16 Bit VGA Board" (I forget which). A. Padgett Peterson (padgett%tccslr.dnet@uvsl.orl.mmc.com) writes: > Bring in the lawyers ! We need some civil actions to force manufacturers > to take due care (I'm amazed it hasn't happened before). [Ed. See follow-up in the next message.] It HAS happened before. Aldus (I believe - someone correct me if I'm wrong) shipped a package which contained a virus, and when they discovered this fact, recalled the shipped pieces and replaced them with clean ones. Also, MSgt Chester Howes (of this base) discovered an occurrence of Jerusalem B being shipped on a copy of BitCom communications software included with an internal modem. The vendor of the modem then sent clean copies of the software and said to destroy the old copies. There are probably other examples. In both of these instances, the manufacturers took full responsibility and made efforts to remedy the situation, once they were informed of the problem. No legal action was necessary. Should there be in this case? Granted, the Music Bug virus has been reported on the SVGA disks since December, and Azusa a couple of weeks ago, but has anyone informed the manufacturer or distributors? Also, how do you know they're NOT checking the disks? Suppose they're using VIRUSCAN V74, which won't find Azusa. Or worse, suppose they're using Norton Antivirus. While it is a good package, the Symantec Virus Newsline recording, where one gets new virus descriptions, is pretty old (as of yesterday, 7 May, it was dated mid- February), and doesn't include the Azusa virus or (if memory serves correctly) the MusicBug virus. They may indeed be looking, but the virii are getting by. While I don't have a number for Packard Bell or Trident Microsystems, I am calling Service Merchandise and Sam's Wholesale, distributors of Packard Bell computers in this area. It costs less than a civil suit, and will achieve the same results, probably in less time. One unrelated comment: I had thought that the phrase, "Eddie lives... somewhere in time" referred to the film "Eddie and the Cruisers," in which the lead singer is thought to be dead, but no one is 100% sure. Sorta like Elvis, huh? ;-) Bill Walker ( WALKER@AEDC-VAX.AF.MIL ) | "If you were locked in a room with OAO Corporation | Saddam Hussein, the Ayatullah, and Arnold Engineering Development Center | a lawyer, but you had only two M.S. 120 | bullets, which would you shoot?" Arnold Air Force Base, TN 37389-9998 | "I'd shoot the lawyer twice."
greg@agora.rain.com (Greg Broiles) (05/10/91)
walker@AEDC-VAX.AF.MIL (William Walker C60223 x4570) writes: >One unrelated comment: I had thought that the phrase, "Eddie lives... >somewhere in time" referred to the film "Eddie and the Cruisers," in >which the lead singer is thought to be dead, but no one is 100% sure. >Sorta like Elvis, huh? ;-) No, this is (I think) pretty clearly a reference to an Iron Maiden album, "Somewhere in Time" (released 1986? 1987?). Iron Maiden features some sort of skeleton-monster mascot on their album covers named "Eddie". >Bill Walker ( WALKER@AEDC-VAX.AF.MIL ) | "If you were locked in a room with >OAO Corporation | Saddam Hussein, the Ayatullah, and >Arnold Engineering Development Center | a lawyer, but you had only two >M.S. 120 | bullets, which would you shoot?" >Arnold Air Force Base, TN 37389-9998 | "I'd shoot the lawyer twice." old signature - address bad! - -- ".. organized crime is the price we pay for organization." - Raymond Chandler Greg Broiles | CI$: 74017,3623 | greg@agora.hf.intel.com Peacenet: gbroiles | WWIVnet: 1@5312 | MCIMail: gbroiles
p1@arkham.wimsey.bc.ca (Rob Slade) (05/11/91)
walker@AEDC-VAX.AF.MIL (William Walker C60223 x4570) writes: > I haven't yet read enough of the back issues of VIRUS-L, so please > excuse what duplication I may make. ... > One unrelated comment: I had thought that the phrase, "Eddie lives... > somewhere in time" referred to the film "Eddie and the Cruisers," in > which the lead singer is thought to be dead, but no one is 100% sure. > Sorta like Elvis, huh? ;-) Comparative Modern Culture 101, final exam Question 5: Who is "Eddie"? (10 points) You would have a great time going through the old issues researching this one. I think the Heavy Metal crew have one the day on this one. "Eddie" is the mascot of "Iron Maiden", one of whose albums/songs/lines is "somewhere in time". ============= Vancouver p1@arkham.wimsey.bc.ca | "If you do buy a Institute for Robert_Slade@mtsg.sfu.ca | computer, don't Research into (SUZY) INtegrity | turn it on." User Canada V7K 2G6 | Richards' 2nd Law Security | of Data Security