New computer viruses pose threat at USU
Utah State University is prepared for the newest rash of computer viruses to hit the Internet, but USU computer experts say students still need to exercise caution while surfing the Web. One of these viruses sends itself to an e-mail account with the subject heading “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves … The Real Story.”
According to Bob Bayn, manager of Computer Services, once the e-mail is opened, it invites the reader to find out what really happened with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs by running a file with the extension “.exe.” The virus then replicates itself and is automatically sent to addresses in the e-mail account’s address book with a fake return address. Then, the virus deletes the computer’s hard drive.
Another similar virus invites readers to look at pictures of a naked wife. USU Network Systems Specialist Miles Johnson said the Naked Wife virus is classified as a Trojan, in reference to the Trojan Horse of Greek history.
“This class of program passes itself off as someone else and entices people to start new behavior,” Johnson said.
Sometimes, the new behavior can be embarrassing.
“Since these viruses appeal to people’s prurient interests, there is a built-in disincentive to get help,” Bayn said.
As a result, viruses sometimes are allowed to wreak havoc on a computer until the computer’s operating system is disabled.
According to Merry Lu Zeller, an assistant to the Chief Information Officer, it is better to just avoid the e-mails should they arrive on one’s computer.
“Don’t click on Snow White or Naked Wife,” Zeller said. “Just delete them.”
Zeller also said that USU purchased McAfee VirusScan in November last year for $2 per computer.
“It is the top virus detection software on the market,” Zeller said.
Hoaxes, which are also prevalent in e-mail messages, are destructive in their own way, according to Zeller, because they cause people to disbelieve warnings about potentially dangerous programs.
“What a waste of good programming,” Zeller said.