Public Service Announcement
Oct. 25th, 2005 03:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jackofallgeeksApparently, there's a virus going around using AIM as a vector.
You'll get a message (or two, in my case) saying "http://www.myspace.com/06242/myspace.pif is that u ", where the URL is also a link. Clicking the link takes you to the resource -- Firefox asked my where I wanted to save it, but I'm not sure if IE will work the same way, so don't click the link. Pif is apparently an MSDOS executable file.
I didn't find much Googling for it, so this may be a new-ish threat. I did find This, which may be talking about the same thing. If so, it looks like the thing just sits on your box and takes up progressively more memory as you run programs.
Just an FYI. Don't click the link. People used to say "don't open things from strangers," but this will come from your friend. They also say "don't open executables," but I'm a CompSci guy and didn't know .pif was executable (I thought it was an image, like .png, which is probably the whole idea). So the new rule is: verify links with your buddy before you open them. If he says, "No, that's a virus," don't open it.
:p
You'll get a message (or two, in my case) saying "http://www.myspace.com/06242/myspace.pif is that u ", where the URL is also a link. Clicking the link takes you to the resource -- Firefox asked my where I wanted to save it, but I'm not sure if IE will work the same way, so don't click the link. Pif is apparently an MSDOS executable file.
I didn't find much Googling for it, so this may be a new-ish threat. I did find This, which may be talking about the same thing. If so, it looks like the thing just sits on your box and takes up progressively more memory as you run programs.
Just an FYI. Don't click the link. People used to say "don't open things from strangers," but this will come from your friend. They also say "don't open executables," but I'm a CompSci guy and didn't know .pif was executable (I thought it was an image, like .png, which is probably the whole idea). So the new rule is: verify links with your buddy before you open them. If he says, "No, that's a virus," don't open it.
:p
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thanks
Date: 2005-10-25 11:42 pm (UTC)Thanks for all the info you keep posting. It's most helpful. And I really liked all the numerical stuff in the last one. I understood it, and it made me feel all smart-like.
PS I need your address in California.
~Liz