Ping: Janet Baraclough

[madgardener]

Janet, I have run the absolute best virus and trojan detector that there is. I also have service provider's with an ISDN which has a HIGH security capability and Maximum virus and trojan protection. What I was told is that when I sent the comics to you and others, the attached trojan was put in as the e-mail was going thru other providers and servers. I don't personally HAVE a trojan virus. We ran every scan and detection there was capable and came up with a completely clean report tonight. I only found spyware, and I deleted that. So I did NOT have a trojan attached. It attached going thru the various servers and providers. (I sent the comic to a few gardening friends).

Having said that, sweetie, I would never in any way send viruses. Not after I accidentally sent one back in 1999. If you've never noticed at the bottom of my e-mails there is a notice that says something like this:

No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.385 / Virus Database: 268.3.0/290 - Release Date: 3/23/2006

Now to further convince you.......the above message was at the bottom of the gardening comics e-mail I sent you, because EVERYTHING I send to EVERYONE I send to MYSELF. Insuring that it's virus free. So honey, twern't me...............................but if you still want me to never send you anything again, I'll gladly oblige. Of course that will mean no jpg's of the workings of the fairies, but oh well, it's something I'll just deal with. I just love to share, but I DON'T share trojans or viruses as I have the BEST in detection and elimination. I haven't had a virus or trojan in YEARS.

hope things are well other than that with you. I look forward to hearing from you as I try and post things that are happening up in Fairy Holler

madgardener

[Jim Carlock]

"madgardener" wrote: information denying viral attachements

Hiya,

(1) Hard to tell what your name is from your signature. :-) (2) Even the best virus scanners do not detect everything. (3) All of the virus scanners in the world cannot detect that you have not installed ALL of the Microsoft updates. (4) Microsoft builds software with open holes in it so even IF you have no virus, all Microsoft operating systems are a viral, trojanus, insecure systems themselves. Take that as you like it, but it's pretty much the truth. For instance, IF you have NetBIOS running as a network protocol on any network adapter, people can easily get your password. Only one particular software that I know of REQUIRED NetBEUI/NetBIOS (ACT, some kind of overpriced contact management software, perhaps it requires it not any longer).

To madgardener, create your contact list as a group name and then then BCC everyone in the list. That way when you mass email you send it to the group name, the people receiving the email see it as being sent to the group name and do not see the email addresses that you mailed out to. This prevents others from mailing out to your clients and it prevents others from claiming that YOU mailed trojan, viral software to them.

If you need some help setting up the group name configured, post a message back and I'll see what I can do to help out. I'm familiar with how to do it via Outlook Express and I imagine it works in pretty much the same way for other email clients, but it seems you use OE as well, so I think we'll be right on target there.

Jim Carlock Post replies to the group.

[Warren]

What is "best" changes often. And none are perfect.

ISDN has no special properties to protect against anything. How fast the line coming into your house is absolutely irrelevant.

Your message, intact, is passed along. It cannot be infected along the way. At the final destination, the recipient's anti-virus software, if it detects a problem, can clean the message. But there is no point along the way where it can become infected. If it arrived infected, it left the source infected.

We have to take your word for that, however that you're clean tonight doesn't mean you were clean when you sent the e-mail, or that the file you sent out was clean.

I wouldn't question that you don't intend to send viruses. I would, however, question your credentials to be able to categorically deny that you might have. It's pretty obvious that you're not very technically competent.

Which may appear on the mail you recieve, but would not appear on the mail you send. Your anti-virus tool checks incoming mail. It doesn't check outgoing mail.

Also, if your anti-virus software detected the virus, and cleaned it from the mail, then yes, the copy you recieved would be clean because you cleaned in when it came in. It still could have left infected.

I certainly don't think you intended to send a trojan. And since I didn't receive it (and don't want to receive it), I don't know if it really did arrive with a trojan attached. What I can say, however, is that your defense is weak, at best, and that you really don't understand how these things work.

[madgardener]

my name? I have always gone by madgardener, but despite that, my previous e-mail address thru Bellsouth was [e-mail], and then now with VIC, my address is only [e-mail] I've never had an address that allowed me to use my handle completely.......................

and I agree completely. I wasn't trying to say that I was totally innocent. I was just trying to let her know that I had run all sorts of scanning programs and as far as they were concerned, I was virus free. I was just saying that the trojan could have been slipped in during transient...........? that's what the technician (actually the man who runs and owns VIC who has always been honest with me) told me.

as far as I know, I have all the Microsoft updates, but I could be and am always wrong............and we all know that Microsoft has all kinds of security capable breeches as it is. The only people who are rid of these headaches are those who use MAC, or at least that's what they ALL smirk and show off and say to me....... I'm about ready to get one just to find out for myself.....

absolutely agree. no arguement there.

For instance, IF you have NetBIOS running

I have no password.................................never have. no reason to have one.

Only one particular software that I know of

ok, but still I have to tell you that when I mail things out in mass, I do it BCC. and add myself. to make sure it sends. there were NO other addresses to all the other people I sent the comics to listed in the addresses bar. Only mine. And I kept getting my return receipts when people read them.

I do use Outlook Express as my e-mail. and tomorrow I'll check and see if you've mailed me. my address is what it is. you can reach me there. maddie (thanks for being considerate, I just hope Janet isn't mad at me, it really might not be my fault.............) but anything is possible and I won't rule it out.

[madgardener]

very wise words snipped>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>(for those who hate it when people just answer and not edit)

you're right, I am not technically strong. I haven't really learned very much in the eight years I've been doing this and I'm not being sarcastic, I'm being truthful! I am only repeating what was explained to me. so let me rephrase that..........................

Janet, I'm sorry if there was a trojan virus attached to the comics I sent you and about 15 other gardeners I really like. If your software caught it and quaranteed it or got rid of it, I'm glad that it didn't mess up your computer. I will NEVER send anything else to you again because I respect your wishes and wouldn't want to accidentally send anything else that might be worse. I'm not being overly sensitive, I'm just saying, that I respect your wishes and won't send you anything. I don't understand you wanting me to remove you from my mailing list, but someone will explain it to me, I'm sure. a remark like that indicates to me that you're upset with me and want to make sure I don't make the mistake twice.

if you're not upset with me, that's great too. but I still respect you enough to not e-mail you anything else personally like jpgs and comics. not even text messages. I can live with communicating thru the garden newsgroup. I just enjoy the personal communications and enjoyed sharing a smile or a flower.........but then, that's what alt.binaries.pictures.gardens is for too......like Travis would remind me

with that, I'm off to bed. there might be a silly ramble coming up I don't know. at least the newsgroups are safe from me and trojans that have sneaked into my computer. or should I consider that I am now a leper and should lurk and hold my posts? I don't know now............ maddie

[Travis M.]

AVG does append that no virus notice on all outgoing mail unless you tell it not to.

[Janet Baraclough]

The message from "madgardener" contains these words:

Calm down woman :-)

My security system detected the virus and identified your email as the source. From that, I guessed that your computer was infected and you didn't know it, and also, that you had probably sent the same post containing a virus to multiple recipients. As a friend I felt obliged to warn you (because otherwise, it's going to happen again) and also warn your other recipients who might be readers here. If you were local to me, I would have telephoned you to say so, but I still would not have sent a new message from my address to your computer, where that trojan is no doubt busilly harvesting incoming addresses.

Okay? I'm not attacking you, blaming you, or trying to shame you. I'm just trying to help you out and look after everyone's best interest. I asked to be taken off your mailing list/out of your addressbook (and for you NOT to email me saying something like "sorry for the virus" , because I've had the proof your computer is insecure and as the posts here show you don't really understand the problem. Tomorrow it might be infected with something else, worse, and I don't want to be on the receiving end.

Janet

Janet

Janet

[madgardener]

holy shit.....well, again, I apologize. and honestly, it's going to be a few days before I can bring myself to even post what I sat up and wrote the other night. I know it's not my fault, but I am a pitiful apologetic person at times. you should know if you've read me for a few years................. :(

oh yes, I did, and I'm sure I'll catch hell from someone

well problem with a couple of the recipients, is they can't get to the newsgroup, and their only warning would be thru me :((

If you were local to me, I would have telephoned you to

sigh...................................................worse and worse, my friend, worse and worse.............

and you did a fine job. don't think I'm not appreciative. and you WEREN'T blaming me. I took it as a friend. honest. and it's hard to shame me.........I've fuggerooed a few things in my history of newsgroup here at wreck.gardens..................just ask around.............................

yep, but I WILL find the proper program and clean this machine.

Tomorrow it might be

[Doug Kanter]

Good idea. In terms of program which use the smallest amount of resources all day long, your best bet is just a plain vanilla anti-virus product, not one of the all-in-one security suites. I use Norton Anti-Virus because my company wants me to. But, lots of people are happy with a free program called AVG - search for it. Get it. Read the instructions for anything you don't understand and make sure it's working.

For spyware, you should be using two programs which only run when you tell them to: Spybot and Adaware. They're both free. Sometimes one catches a nasty that the other one missed, hence the reason for both. After they do their job, you shut them off like any other software.

Also, to for some fantastic help with cleaning up your current problems, go to

Written by a couple of administrators from the Univeristy of Rochester IT department, it's helped hundreds of people. It's quite involved, but when you're done, you'll have a clean machine.

Finally, do the following with one of the setting in Outlook Express: Click Tools, Options, Send. In the middle is the sentence "Automatically put people I reply to in my address book". Turn that option OFF, and don't ever turn it on. Leaving it turned on means that even when you reply to people you might never correspond with again, they are added to your address book. Then, when your computer gets infected with something that replicates itself to everyone in your address book, it spreads to people who have no idea who you are. If you want people in your address book, add them manually, with intent, when you're sure they're people who really need to be there.

[madgardener]

I HAVE AVG, it runs automatically, updates all the time and is the reason my e-mails take so long to come in and go out because it's searching for viruses. I've had AVG now for almost 3 years...............

I have both of those and ran them last night and caught spyware but no viruses. I've had those programs for over 4 years............upgrade them all the time and run it constantly.

going there now. thanks Doug.

never been on. I manually add addresses now since coming to the newsgroup over 8 years ago. maddie

[Doug Kanter]

Those two programs are not designed to catch viruses. That's why you need something like AVG, which runs all the time in the background. After you install it, be sure to shut OFF the email scanning. Two reasons: First, it can cause some serious problems with Outlook Express. Second, it's redundant. All files are scanned when they are saved to the hard disk, the AVG would still spot trouble at that point and stop it.

[Janet Baraclough]

The message from "madgardener" contains these words:

I'm wondering if you could have mistaken how it works and updates? because if it was working as you say, it should have told you about the virus in your system before mine told me.

Are you sure you have actually downloaded all the updates, and does your AV scan all systems (not, just your email)? Janet.

[Jim Carlock]

Is it possible that the email didn't come from Maddy's system?

You still have a copy of the email ?

Jim Carlock Post replies to the group.

[cineman]

SNIP

Madgardener, In my humble opinion, and that of computer magazines, AVG is not the best free antivirus available. In a test of about 50 anti-virus programmes, Antivir came came top of the free versions scoring 80% whilst AVG scored about 68% the link to antivir is as follows

as new viruses/ viri are being written almost weekly, antivirus software is always behind, until a virus is known about tracing software or "definitions cannot be written to check for it. there are a number of free online scans including at Hope this helps, Other free software is available at look about half way down page for top ten downloads) including spybot search and destroy adaware se personal edition ( not to be confused with adware) regards Cineman

[michael adams]

Or buy a copy of Ghost and image a clean install of OS and Apps onto another partition or disc.

Then reinstall the image onto C: every week or as necessary. manually copying favourites Newsgroup files and documents.

Around £20

michael adams

...