Virus discovered in file

[bonerre]

Hey, I had just downloaded the FS2004  AI installer (part 2) from page 1 of the FS2004 misc page. A file contained in the A313AFLv2.zip contains the W32/Parite.B virus. I have Panda anti-virus which detected and disinfected it on my computer, but someone is loading some of the files with viruses, so be careful. I have notified the webmaster, and be sure you have an up-to-date antivirus before you download anything.

[Joe_D]

Yes, it can happen through no real fault/intenton of the software author.
Even a virus in commercial software has been known to occure on rare occasions.

It just illustrates how important anti virus software can be.

[deadnight]

I belive I may have gotten a virus from the same file a while back. I downloaded a bunch of files that day and that one was one of them. Then about a half hour later norton reported that exact same virus.

[pete]

The file isn't infected guys.
No files on our system are infected.

1. All files are scanned with AVG 2 times on our servers - during initial upload & then again when they are either uploaded again or transfered to their respective folders. + both servers are scanned daily - the whole machines.

2. All files are scanned daily on my system - with Mcafee & then on my backup PC using Norton.


I have again scanned the file in question - just to be sure -but it is clean.

Unless you are saying that McAfee, Norton & AVG are all missing an important virus? Not likely.

What happens sometimes is that certain anti virus software is a little too sensitive & will think certain programs are virus's when they are not.

[deadnight]

I wasn't saying that it was necessarily that file.. it's just quite a coincidence that both of us seemed to have been affected by what seemed to me the same file. I can't say for sure that that was the cause but it was the first file that Norton detected a virus on. And it was a virus. It spread and infected over 200 files in my computer. It also disabled my Norton antivirus which was a pain to fix. This was quite a while ago.. at least a month I'm thinking. That day I went on a rampage and downloaded probably at least a hundred addons from different websites. So I couldn't say for sure that that was the cause. I never said anything about it because I figured this website was clean of viruses.

I'm not blaming simviation about it. I'm just really tired and rambling.  ;D

[pete]

Apologies:

I installed that file & yes a virus was detected. It got past the file scan because the virus was embedded in a file within the self extracting file (I hate self extracting files) . Neither Norton, McAfee nor AVG could detect the virus until it was acually being extracted.

This file has been removed & a lesson learned. Apologies to anyone effected by this.

I am now off to contact the author  ;)

P.S. As always ::: Anyone using a PC without up to date anti virus is driving blindly down the road.

[Jared]

So that's why I had to reformat my hard drive last weekend...  ;D

Jared

[bonerre]

Regarding Joe_D's reply about commercial software containing viruses, while they may contain viruses, they are planted there by someone in the company or organization that put out the cd. Viruses don't "just happen", they are developed by humans. And Pete, a peice of advice, get rid of the anti-virus you are using. It should have stopped the virus from being loaded here, but it obviously didn't. Maybe give Panda a try. Instead of "once a week updates" on virus definitions like Norton or McAfee give, Panda automatically updates daily. Usually 12-15 updates per day. And unlike McAfee or Norton, Panda helps get rid of viruses free. The others charge you for the failure of their AV-- makes sense, huh?

[KDSM]

Reformatting is fun!

[fido]

Pete  I also got infected, but I in no way, blame you.  I have downloaded too many trouble free files to let one bad one bother me, keep up the good work, $hit happens, no fault, no foul.

            Fido

[pete]

If a young girl walks around - say along venice beach, LA - looking a bit drunk, at 3.00 am - dressed in a seriously short skirt, chewing gum & moving to the beat coming through her walkman... what's going to happen to her?  ::) ... (if she met me she'd be OK - but she wouldn't meet me because I wouldn't be there ..  8) )

ANYONE using the net without an up to date anti virus is seriously asking for trouble. YOU WILL GET INFECTED - not may - will.  :)

Period.
Get protected - not wreckted (as someone might say.. )

[michaelb15]

Will any ainti-virous do? I have PC-cillon (came with my asus motherboard)

[bonerre]

Well, I have never personally tried PC-Cillin, so I don't know how much support they provide if any. That is the key. You can update all you want, but if you get infected anyway, what will you do? Norton and McAfee both charge you for contacting their support if you need help getting rid of a virus. I don't know about PC-Cillin. I was just at their website looking around, and found they have an e-mail address to contact them for virus support, but they don't mention one way or the other whether they charge. Another thing to consider is the frequency of their updates. Both Norton and McAfee update their virus definitions once a week. That's not good enough for me. My college A+/N+ instructor told us one day about Panda, and that's how I found out about them. They have updates every single day (19 today, 6 yesterday, 13 the day before, etc). That means Norton and McAfee users are unprotected against new viruses for a week. It just depends, do you feel lucky?

[bonerre]

I wanted to add something else, too. Pete, I don't want it to sound like I blamed you for anything. You can't control what other people do, and they will almost always find ways to "beat the system". I just wanted to be sure someone was notified before it began infecting too many people. You have an almost impossible task, due to the fact that you must allow uploads onto the site. Atleast in a network, if we want to avoid users from installing viruses, we just set their permissions to "read only". That way, we don't have to worry about them deleting or installing unwanted material. You don't have that option, and that makes it harder on you.

[pete]

Both Norton and McAfee update their virus definitions once a week.

Not true actually : Here is a quote from McAfee Settings:

McAfee SecurityCenter automatically checks for updates every four hours

I have Norton on my 2 other machines & Norton says the same

...by default, Automatic Update checks for updates to Norton Anti Vius every 4 hours

There are several other highly credited FREE anti virus programs out there - AVG is one well known & highly credited version:
http://www.grisoft.com/