Warning To Everyone Using Instant Messaging Services.

[Duffman656]

To those of you unaware there was a virus going around on MSN messenger, and possibly other instant messaging services, saying "Is this you? www.metacafe.com/your email address here," then when you got the virus the "is this you" message spreaded to everyone on your contact list. Twas very difficult to get rid of. Now there's a new one, saying "Is this you in this picture? :| www.metacafe.com/random numbers". I know I am probably going to receive many messages saying "You're obviously not supposed to click those, only idiots don't know that" but about 75% of my friends got there's infected with the "is this you" virus. And about 60% of my friends wanted me to fix their computers after, lol, so yeah, watch out for that one.

 

[PC eye]

There's also another option available. Simply don't use instant messaging. Unlike spam and "strange" emails from unknowns instant messaging is one where whatever you receive is expected to be from someone you know until.... !!! It's too late now!

 

[jancz3rt]

Hmm

I am quite sure that you will be safe with a decent antivirus program. I am not afraid In my life, my PC has never been infected as of now so I very much doubt it will any time soon. I do have 4 messengers installed so bring it on.

JAN

 

[Archangel]

I am quite sure that you will be safe with a decent antivirus program. I am not afraid In my life, my PC has never been infected as of now so I very much doubt it will any time soon. I do have 4 messengers installed so bring it on.

Ooohh... tough guy


the only instant messenger i use is the one from the Gmail in box,.. so i gues im safe.

 

[Tayl]

I am quite sure that you will be safe with a decent antivirus program. I am not afraid In my life, my PC has never been infected as of now so I very much doubt it will any time soon. I do have 4 messengers installed so bring it on.

JAN

You do realise that you've just set yourself up for a jinx with that now right?.. now... what are your IM name's and addresses, I'm sure we can fix that .

As for the MSN virus, none of these things ever seem to reach me so i'm not really worried. Thanks for the heads up, though.

 

[OvenMaster]

I use Yahoo and I love the option that ignores anyone not on your list. That way, the only messages that get through are from people I trust.
Tom

 

[dragon2309]

I use Yahoo and I love the option that ignores anyone not on your list. That way, the only messages that get through are from people I trust.
Tom

Not that it really matters, becuase one of your trusted friends could accidentally get infected with it and it would then auto send it out to you aswell...

dragon

 

[OvenMaster]

Not that it really matters, becuase one of your trusted friends could accidentally get infected with it and it would then auto send it out to you aswell...

dragon

Well, there goes that...

 

[DCIScouts]

I am quite sure that you will be safe with a decent antivirus program. I am not afraid In my life, my PC has never been infected as of now so I very much doubt it will any time soon. I do have 4 messengers installed so bring it on.

JAN

My anti-virus has caught these in the past as well... (Sometimes if I know something is a virus, but not a bad one, I'll test it to see if it is really working... Probably not the smartest idea in the world, but I like to live dangerously... )

 

[edifier]

The forums are full of these infections so for the time being, i would recommend running your chat clients in 1 of the following freebies.

Sandboxie- http://sandboxie.com/

BufferZone- http://www.trustware.com/freeware.php

Also a good idea to run your browsers in them too!.

 

[4W4K3]

Never had an IM virus before. My story is pretty much that on jan's...all my screennames are in my profile.

 

[Advitiya Saxena]

what's the remedy...

 

[Duffman656]

I had both AVG and Avast updated to maximum and I got the "Is this you" virus...

 

[dragon2309]

Wouldnt it really depend on how smart your contacts are. You could be as tactful as ever, avoid everything, but if some dumb friend gets it and sends it out to you, then your pretty screwed. (Ok, so you still ave to click on it, but still)

What im trying to say is that the spread of this virus relies on the dumb un protected people using the IM services out there. Typically most of us on here have a whole host of prgorams protecting us (or we run linux), so its not really us who have to be careful anymore, its everyone else

draogn

 

[Tayl]

So you can't really get the virus from this unless you actually click on something within a line that goes like "is this you? click here" ?.. If so, everyone on my contact list would never ask me that question because they're close friends, and if they do ask, I know it's the virus talking, so I have nothing to worry about.

 

[Shane]

I use Windows Live Messenger.

Is this Msn renamed?

Anyway,Ive noticed when i recieve emails theres some writing just below saying these files have been scanned with avg antivirus.

So hopefully i shouldnt get anything nasty.
Afterall i dont open any messeges that i dont know who their from.

 

[PC eye]

Gee I just love opening virus infected strange emails since I never bother with MSN messaging or any of tthe others. Let's see... what's for dinner tonight in the virus section. aaaww yesssss.. I get to dissect the latest little bugger to see where it hides itself. you got what? ! I said I get to dissect the little worm or whatever to see where it hides itself. my gosh! you take chances wid tat stuff?! Of course! How else do you get to know how send it straight to..... "The Recycle Bin!

 

[Duffman656]

OK..... To Dragon, my close friends are computer smart and don't click that kinda stuff, but I got a list of about 10 smart people and about 200 idiots, lol. To Breaks, you can't get the virus unless you willingly click a link given to you, what happens is you download the virus willingly then you unwillingly send a message to all your contacts saying the same thing that got sent to you. To AMD, I'm not 100% sure on this, but I think that WLM is the Beta (Test) version of MSN Messenger, as it still has errors on it. And this virus goes through your Instant messanger, not your email, so I don't think AVG can get at it. And as for PC Eye, I'm too lazy to read your message, lol.

 

[4W4K3]

Well I have 188 AIM buddies, ~30 MSN buddies, and 5 Yahoo buddies. Very few out of all of them are computer literate. And I have yet to receive an IM virus...ever. So I think there is more to it than just clicking a link. I don't claim to know what it would be, but if this "spread" was so easy...wouldn't I have seen it by now?

 

[PC eye]

And this virus goes through your Instant messanger, not your email, so I don't think AVG can get at it. And as for PC Eye, I'm too lazy to read your message, lol.

AVG would probably throw up an alert if it has a chance to detect the malicious code in it. I've seen AVG come to life to point out a trojan being copied to the drive when it wasn't even enabled in the startup list to load along with Windows. Thatwasn't too hard to read was it?

Well I have 188 AIM buddies, ~30 MSN buddies, and 5 Yahoo buddies. Very few out of all of them are computer literate. And I have yet to receive an IM virus...ever. So I think there is more to it than just clicking a link. I don't claim to know what it would be, but if this "spread" was so easy...wouldn't I have seen it by now?

Not necessarily. It first would have to infect a system of one of your contacts for your contact information there to then be sent out. With the amount of those using messaging it could some time easily. If you don't see one particular virus something else will probably come along sooner or later.