Computer Security article by Ellery Coleman

"Bite The Love Bug Back"

This week's tip is a bit of a departure from our
normal day trading information, but I think you
will find it vital to your computer's safety while
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And now for this week's article:

"Bite The Love Bug Back"

Were you affected? The fastest spreading virus of
all time recently took the world by storm. It was
called the "I Love You" virus. This 'Love Bug'
wreaked havoc on many of the world's computers,
leaving in its wake thousands of companies
anxiously searching for a solution.

How Can You Protect Yourself?

Now that the initial panic has subsided, what have
we learned?

One very important lesson is that we can no longer
assume that attachments from people we know are
safe!

"The Love Bug" sends emails with attachments from
infected computers that use Outlook Express. Those
attachments, when opened, will infect the receiving
computer. So now, the old safeguard of not opening
attachments from strangers is no longer enough.

The true danger of today's viruses is that they will
most likely be sent to you by people you know and
trust, before they realize they have been infected.

What we must do now to protect ourselves is not
open any attachments that we were not expecting
without first checking with the person who sent the
email to make sure he actually sent it. Of course,
you should still never open attachments from people
you don't know.

As a courtesy, you should explain what any
attachments are to anyone you send one to.

What I have done is create a template email that I
send as a reply to emails with unexplained
attachments. It reads: "Thank you for the email you
sent me shown below. It contains an attachment that
you did not explain the purpose of. In view of the
possibility that a virus could have sent this to me
without your knowledge, I would appreciate an
explanation of the attachment's purpose. As a
precaution, I have deleted the attachment, so please
send it again with your reply." I then paste this
template into my email reply and await a response.

You cannot rely on just deleting attachments with
known subject titles such as "I Love You" as the
subject in the case of the Love Bug virus because
subject titles used by viruses are always changing.

Some 'experts' go so far as to say not to use
Outlook Express because many of the recent viruses
have been created specifically to make use of
Outlook Express to spread itself to others. However,
if you follow the precautions outlined in this
article, you should have no problems.

One caveat to using Outlook and Outlook Express is
that there is a security hole that can allow an
email without an attachment to infect your computer.
One virus is called Bubbleboy and another is JS/KAK.
If you haven't downloaded and installed the patch
to correct this, you should do so immediately. Go to
http://microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms99-032.asp
It is referred to as the 'Patch Available for
"scriptlet.typelib/Eyedog" Vulnerability.'

In addition to the patch you should disable email
scripting. In Outlook go to Tools|Options|Security.
In the Security Zones section make sure "Restricted
sites zone (More secure)" is checked. This will
prevent scripts in emails from automatically running
when you read or preview them. There is no good
reason for allowing email scripting. It simply is not
safe to use Outlook unless these changes are made.

You should also check the Microsoft site
periodically and keep up-to-date on any software
patches for Outlook Express, especially security
related ones.

One snare used by the Love Bug virus takes advantage
of the default Windows setting that hides file
extensions. The attachment ended with .txt.vbs, but
since Windows hides the file extension, you only see
the .txt which makes you think it's just a plain
text file. Unfortunately, lurking in the shadows is
the .vbs extension.

To eliminate this snare, you should change the Windows
setting so that you can see the real extension. In
your Windows Explorer, go to View|Folder Options|View
and look down the list of options for "Hide file
extensions for known file types" and uncheck it.
Click Apply and then OK. Now the full extensions will
be displayed for your files.

They say the best defense is a good offense. This
proactive approach will protect you from the vast
majority of possible virus infections. However, a
good virus protection program that is regularly
updated is vital to your computer's health.
You can download a free one at
http://www.antivirus.cai.com

There are many good virus protection programs, but
the most important thing is that you update yours
often, at least once a month.

Another vital defensive approach is to educate all
personnel who use a computer in your company so
that they understand how their computer can become
infected. Make sure they read this article and
understand the importance of taking these steps.
It only takes one uninformed person on your network
to cause an infection that will affect everyone in
the company.

A list of defensive approaches to virus protection
would not be complete without the mention of back-
ups. It is vital that you make backups of your
important files on a regular basis. Not only are
they a protection against viruses, but they are a
valuable ally against even worse catastrophes.
Remember, it's not a question of will your hard
drive crash, but when. So get in the habit of doing
regular back ups. Do it now!

Now you might be saying, "All of this is good, but
what does it have to do with biting the Love Bug
back?" If everyone follows the advice given,
viruses like the Love Bug will not be able to
spread very well, if at all. Thus, their sting will be
gone. With no more media coverage for the vandals,
perhaps they will turn their talents toward more
productive pursuits.

See http://grc.com to check other security issues.

I also recommend installing a firewall called Zone Alarm from http://www.zonelabs.com

Yours for success,

Ellery Coleman

The trades referred to in this article are trades that were sent to our Choice Day Trades subscribers as they happened. We have no way to verify whether or not all or any of these trades were taken in real time since we did not take them in our account. Therefore they should all be considered hypothetical.

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