DearDiary.Net and Viruses.
Wed Nov 28 2001

I think a slight misconception has arisen since the installation of the filters for the deardiary.net servers.

DearDiary.Net is NOT spreading any viruses.

However, the DearDiary.Net server WILL alert you if it receives an email from you that it believes has the virus. It will only do this if it receives a suspicious email from you. I am completely confident of this because;

1) All the present hysterical worms are written for WINDOWS machines. DearDiary.Net runs on a UNIX server.
2) All the present hysterical worms are written and use MAPI functions of WINDOWS email clients such as Outlook, Outlook Express, possibly Eudora and others.

Many many of you have [email protected], [email protected] or [email protected] in your address books. Many more of you have those addresses in your Web cache on your hard drive. The latest worms use both of these places as sources of email addresses to send themselves to, thus your computers are silently and secretly emailling our support address TRYING TO INFECT US. Not the other way around, and THIS is what our server is telling you.

I hope this message doesn't come across as blame, because its not meant to be, these viruses are a pain in the butt and use some very clever techniques to get you to open them. But I can't stand by and watch the comments that appear to imply the virus is coming from here. It is not.

I hope that clears it up. Please, feel free to email me if you have questions or concerns, I will do my best to help. I've been in the business over 10 years (old bastard I know!), I'm not a virus 'expert' but I've been around enough to know what innoculations to take :-)

Steve.

BTW, Symantec describe the latest worm thusly;
W32.Badtrans.B@mm is a MAPI worm that emails itself out using different file names. It also creates the file \Windows\System\Kdll.dll. It uses functions from this file to log keystrokes.

The full description is available At Symantec

Our server does not have MAPI. It doesnt use W32. It doesn't have an Kdll.dll. It categorically can not be infected by this worm and cannot spread it.

7 Comments
  • From:
    Salamander (Legacy)
    On:
    Wed Nov 28 2001
    It would appear that UNIX has it's uses. Thanks for the update.
  • From:
    NooNoo (Legacy)
    On:
    Wed Nov 28 2001
    I use Eudora and every attachment I get, whether I open it or not, saves itself to Qualcom/Eudora/Attach =/. What a pain in the rear. The two times I have been sent viruses, I have just ran quickly to that file and remove the attachment, then prayed it didn't manage to send itself onwards before I destroyed it.
  • From:
    Rosebud (Legacy)
    On:
    Wed Nov 28 2001
    Oh I in no way meant DD was the cause of what happen to me!! I know you werent and I never thought you were. It happen as any virus can I guess, but DD in NO WAY was at all responsible.I hope you didnt think I implied it was.Im so sorry if I did, I never even thought that.

    You were all a great help!!

    Rosie
  • From:
    Atlas (Legacy)
    On:
    Thu Nov 29 2001
    Vegeta
  • From:
    Shellybien (Legacy)
    On:
    Thu Nov 29 2001
    The virus you're speaking of doesn't effect IE 6, there's is a patch available for those using IE 5 on on the MSN site.
  • From:
    Alifelessordinary (Legacy)
    On:
    Thu Nov 29 2001
    Just a quick question, I don't think it warrants a "help" request.

    Sometimes my diary headings seem to move back a day, and they don't make much sense :) Any ideas? They always right themselves eventually, but I wonder if it happens with other diaries too..

    Thanks

    ~LIFE~
  • From:
    MoonriddenGirl (Legacy)
    On:
    Thu Nov 29 2001
    Thanks for the heads up! I had imagined that because I automatically delete attachments, I would be safe. More fool me. :/