Digest Number 1132

[Guest guest]

Hey All, just want to alert you to about the Virus Hoax (that was posted in this

digest:)

 

DO NOT DELETE ANY FILES ON YOUR COMPUTER. Yes the file is there, because it

BELONGS there.

 

Barg

 

SULFNBK.EXE Hoax

 

This is a hoax that can cause a user to mess up their own computer through a

lack of knowledge. Below is the text of the hoax, DO NOT FOLLOW THESE

INSTRUCTIONS:

 

---hoax text---

 

NEW virus! I just found it on my computer. Please check

yours!!!! No Virus software can detect it. It will become

active on June 1, 2001.

 

It might be too late by then. It wipes out all

files and folders on the hard drive. This virus

travels through E-mail and migrates to the

 

'C:\windows\command' folder. To find it and get

rid of it off of your computer, do the following.

 

Go to the "START" button.

Go to "FIND" or "SEARCH"

Go to "FILES & FOLDERS"

Make sure the find box is searching the "C:" drive.

Type in; SULFNBK.EXE

Begin search.

 

If it finds it, highlight it.

Go to 'File' and delete it.

Close the find Dialog box

Open the Recycle Bin

Find the file and delete it from the Recycle bin

You should be safe.

 

The bad part is: You need to contact everyone you

have sent ANY E-mail to in the past few months.

Many major companies have found this virus on their

computers. Please help your friends !!!!!!!!

 

---end hoax text---

 

The way it can cause users to harm their own computer is that this file is

actually part of the Windows Operating System. So if a person receives this hoax

and searches for the file, they will most likely find it and may believe they

have a virus and delete the file, then delete it from their recycle bin making

it more difficult to restore.

 

The file is actually the Windows' Long File Name Backup utility (SULFNBK =

System Utility for Long File Names BacKup).

 

HOWEVER, the virus/worm W32.Magistr.24876@mm can arrive as an attachment named

Sulfnbk.exe. The Sulfnbk.exe file used by Windows is located in the

C:\Windows\Command folder. If the file is located in any other folder, or

arrives as an attachment to an

email message, then it is very possible that file is infected.

 

So, there can be a virus with that name, but unlike the claim in the hoax

letter, up-to-date antivirus programs do detect it.