An FYI: Computer Worm Alert!

strange_wings

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What is says is basically you have to be stupid enough to install this virus yourself. Hopefully, most of the people on this forum know better.

The part about autorun, if that confused you, is simple. Have you put a cd or dvd in your rom drive yet and had it open a media player or dvd player? This is bad, at the very least it should ask you what action you want windows to do (play, open, or ignore). You can turn off autorun in settings. To learn how to do this, go to google and look up "turn off autorun XP".

Otherwise, don't put randomly put strange discs or plug in unknown USB drives into your computer.
 
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kittkatt

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Originally Posted by strange_wings

What is says is basically you have to be stupid enough to install this virus yourself. Hopefully, most of the people on this forum know better.

The part about autorun, if that confused you, is simple. Have you put a cd or dvd in your rom drive yet and had it open a media player or dvd player? This is bad, at the very least it should ask you what action you want windows to do (play, open, or ignore). You can turn off autorun in settings. To learn how to do this, go to google and look up "turn off autorun XP".

Otherwise, don't put randomly put strange discs or plug in unknown USB drives into your computer.
I just put some blank discs in the rom drive yesterday to load pix onto.
Is that bad?


What is a USB drive?
 

strange_wings

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Originally Posted by KittKatt

I just put some blank discs in the rom drive yesterday to load pix onto.
Is that bad?
Did you find those discs laying around in a public place? ie, a table at McDonald's or laying in a parking lot? Think of this as you would food - would you put random pieces of food you found laying around in your mouth and eat it?
Brand new discs you buy, or given to you by someone you trust (and trust to have enough sense not to put bad things on them accidentally) are fine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_drive With a picture of one, too.


The funny thing is, I would be tempted to pick up a disc or USB drive in a parking lot and see what's on it!
There's such a slim chance it could even have anything that could affect my OS that I'd be fairly safe.
 

laureen227

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Originally Posted by KittKatt

I just put some blank discs in the rom drive yesterday to load pix onto.
Is that bad?


What is a USB drive?
no, that's fine. just don't put discs you receive in the mail, from unknown sources in.
here's a USB drive. they're also called thumb drives - they're about the size of your thumb. i explained it to my mother like this - it's a floppy disc in a new suit that holds tons more data.
 
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kittkatt

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Originally Posted by strange_wings

Did you find those discs laying around in a public place? ie, a table at McDonald's or laying in a parking lot? Think of this as you would food - would you put random pieces of food you found laying around in your mouth and eat it?
Brand new discs you buy, or given to you by someone you trust (and trust to have enough sense not to put bad things on them accidentally) are fine.
No, it was a blank CD. I don't think I'd let anyone stick a CD/DVD into my computer unless I really trusted them.

Thanks for explaining it that way, StrangeWings.
It makes sense now.
You have to talk in laymen terms when you're speaking to me.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_drive With a picture of one, too.
The funny thing is, I would be tempted to pick up a disc or USB drive in a parking lot and see what's on it!
There's such a slim chance it could even have anything that could affect my OS that I'd be fairly safe.
My son is that way, too. I doubt that I would take that chance, but he would - and then he'd tell me that I worry too much.
Well, that's what moms are for.
 
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kittkatt

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Originally Posted by laureen227

no, that's fine. just don't put discs you receive in the mail, from unknown sources in.
here's a USB drive. they're also called thumb drives - they're about the size of your thumb. i explained it to my mother like this - it's a floppy disc in a new suit that holds tons more data.
I know what you're talking about now!
The good friend of mine who bought the computer uses those things all the time (I believe she actually used it to load the antivirus program onto the computer). I remember her telling me that that's what some peeps are doing to infect computers.


Thanks, Laureen!
 

grogs

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Originally Posted by strange_wings

The funny thing is, I would be tempted to pick up a disc or USB drive in a parking lot and see what's on it!
There's such a slim chance it could even have anything that could affect my OS that I'd be fairly safe.
You must have a Mac.

It's funny. The IT guys where I work like to leave CD's and USB drives with fake viruses on them. They'll also send out fake 'phishing' e-mails and mail CD's to people. All the 'virus' does AFAIK is send an e-mail to the IT department saying who opened the virus and on what machine so they can be properly chastised. Even though this has been going on for over a year and we've gotten more e-mails than I would ever care to read about it, people still fall for it.
 

strange_wings

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Originally Posted by Grogs

You must have a Mac.
Wrong, I don't. I simply do not have that much money to waste to begin with.


Sadly, I'm just mean enough that I'd love to find something they left laying about and try picking it apart to get that email address - then submit it to several "sites".
 
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