vnunet.com— AOL?s instant messaging service has been hit by a virus which downloads spyware onto computers via a special website.
Oct 28, 2005View in Crawl 4
spyware? on an AOL product???? you people do know that the default AOL installer installs various products that some people consider to be spyware. AIM itself is adware, with big annoying flashing ads, some of which make loud sounds. Switch to an open source program like GAIM and you wont regret it. also, if firefox is your default browser you have an extra layer of protection against this type of virus, even if you're stupid enough to click on the link. you would then have to download the file to your hard drive, and then run it if you wanted to get the virus. if you use AIM and IE its easy.
HiddenLYNX:So you think college campuses are the biggest havens for these viruses? Doubtful. Out of 30,000 computer users, only about 1,000 in total have been knocked off the network for infection of the latest wave of viruses to hit in the past month.They get the idea real fast though when we force them to reinstall Windows and won't unblock them until they do. You want the kid not to touch the stove? Stop warning him and let him touch it once. He'll learn real fast that it hurts to get burned and that he shouldn't keep doing it.tsupersonic:Who exactly are you calling pathetic? The only reason you're not sitting there crying about the virus IM'ing your friends is because you had SpySweeper stop it. By having clicked on that link, you have no right to call any other user who has done the same, pathetic.ajbalash:Aim AdHack with 5.9.3861 works just fine. Though I can bet that even if everyone in the country was running 5.2.3277 as you are, the viruses would still be as rampant as they are now. Everyone bashes AOL because hell, it's AOL. But they're the same people using their IM service to keep in touch with friends. Maybe you can start bashing AOL when you run Trillian or GAIM full time. Would love to see the day when AOL goes "Screw them, they don't like our products, fine, only registered AOL users get to use AIM." Though they'd never cut off such a large user base because a few idiots bad-mouthed them.All in all, this is how things are. Viruses will spread, people will eventually get tired of getting them and start to be more paranoid. Until then, we point and make fun of the silly people who get them. If I can teach my aging mother not to download viruses from email and so forth, anyone can learn.Though I can't explain why Iain Thomson is writing an article on such an old topic just now. It's not like this wave of viruses is any different from the last... "SURPRISE! I do the same thing as the last 20 viruses that came through AIM, think anyone will still fall for it? YUP!"
Well i've seen one very similar to this. But in my case wut happened wus my friend would send me a link from Myspace and it said is that you? at the end. wut they didn't know is that they were automaticly sending it to all of their buddies. BUT i have mac os x........so I wasn't affected...just annoyed by all my friends who kept sending it to me.
It's probably too late for anybody to be reading this, but I get the idea that many of you think your buddies are intentionally sending you the links. It's not them, it's the virus. That's the point of it. Once infected, the virus will automatically send the link to everyone on the buddy list.You can call your buddies stupid for clicking on the link, but not for sending you the link.
mrsaOct 28, 2005
Here's the original posting... which has no real details either...<a class="user" href="http://www.websensesecuritylabs.com/alerts/alert.php?AlertID=324">http://www.websensesecuritylabs.com/alerts/alert.php?AlertID=324</a>
smerndmgyOct 28, 2005
spyware? on an AOL product???? you people do know that the default AOL installer installs various products that some people consider to be spyware. AIM itself is adware, with big annoying flashing ads, some of which make loud sounds. Switch to an open source program like GAIM and you wont regret it. also, if firefox is your default browser you have an extra layer of protection against this type of virus, even if you're stupid enough to click on the link. you would then have to download the file to your hard drive, and then run it if you wanted to get the virus. if you use AIM and IE its easy.
Closed AccountOct 28, 2005
HiddenLYNX:So you think college campuses are the biggest havens for these viruses? Doubtful. Out of 30,000 computer users, only about 1,000 in total have been knocked off the network for infection of the latest wave of viruses to hit in the past month.They get the idea real fast though when we force them to reinstall Windows and won't unblock them until they do. You want the kid not to touch the stove? Stop warning him and let him touch it once. He'll learn real fast that it hurts to get burned and that he shouldn't keep doing it.tsupersonic:Who exactly are you calling pathetic? The only reason you're not sitting there crying about the virus IM'ing your friends is because you had SpySweeper stop it. By having clicked on that link, you have no right to call any other user who has done the same, pathetic.ajbalash:Aim AdHack with 5.9.3861 works just fine. Though I can bet that even if everyone in the country was running 5.2.3277 as you are, the viruses would still be as rampant as they are now. Everyone bashes AOL because hell, it's AOL. But they're the same people using their IM service to keep in touch with friends. Maybe you can start bashing AOL when you run Trillian or GAIM full time. Would love to see the day when AOL goes "Screw them, they don't like our products, fine, only registered AOL users get to use AIM." Though they'd never cut off such a large user base because a few idiots bad-mouthed them.All in all, this is how things are. Viruses will spread, people will eventually get tired of getting them and start to be more paranoid. Until then, we point and make fun of the silly people who get them. If I can teach my aging mother not to download viruses from email and so forth, anyone can learn.Though I can't explain why Iain Thomson is writing an article on such an old topic just now. It's not like this wave of viruses is any different from the last... "SURPRISE! I do the same thing as the last 20 viruses that came through AIM, think anyone will still fall for it? YUP!"
aresefOct 28, 2005
I love being immune to this stuff (Thanks to Trillian)
michaelsbOct 29, 2005
Complete details on this worm and the rootkit that it installs can be found at <a class="user" href="http://www.facetime.com/pr/pr051028.aspx">http://www.facetime.com/pr/pr051028.aspx</a>
striker1211Oct 29, 2005
I made a program called SD-Bot, to act as a local relay, and pestpatrol called it sdbot spyware... lol...
crazyman8787Oct 29, 2005
Well i've seen one very similar to this. But in my case wut happened wus my friend would send me a link from Myspace and it said is that you? at the end. wut they didn't know is that they were automaticly sending it to all of their buddies. BUT i have mac os x........so I wasn't affected...just annoyed by all my friends who kept sending it to me.
torunforeverOct 29, 2005
It's probably too late for anybody to be reading this, but I get the idea that many of you think your buddies are intentionally sending you the links. It's not them, it's the virus. That's the point of it. Once infected, the virus will automatically send the link to everyone on the buddy list.You can call your buddies stupid for clicking on the link, but not for sending you the link.