Irina is not a virus
False rumors of a computer virus called Irina have been circulating at Cornell and elsewhere via e-mail. The Irina rumor is similar to the Good Times hoax, which originated in 1994 and periodically resurfaces on the Internet. Good Times began as a warning message telling people not to open any e-mail messages with "Good Times" in the subject line, or their computers would be destroyed. The warning was propagated rampantly, though it had no basis in fact.
What is a virus?
A virus is a piece of programming code that attaches itself to a legitimate program and then infects other software when that program runs. A common fear is catching a virus by reading e-mail.
An e-mail message is just text, and displaying the message on your screen does not put you at risk for a computer virus. When you receive a file as an e-mail attachment, you should check it for viruses, just as you would with a program you downloaded from an archive site or bulletin board. While simply receiving an attachment presents no risk, running a program that arrived as an attachment or, with the new macro viruses, opening a Microsoft Word document could lead to an infection.
What should you do when you get a virus warning?
Before forwarding a warning to all of your friends and loved ones, confirm it with the CIT HelpDesk (contact information below) or another reliable authority. Even if your source is someone you trust completely, it is wise to check before forwarding the message to others. No virus poses such an imminent threat that it's not safer to first confirm an alert rather than cause a panic you may later regret.
Where to get more information:
·The CIT Services HelpDesk helpdesk@cornell.edu, 255-8990
·The IBM "antivirus online" Web page http://www.av.ibm.com/ -- check both the "virus alerts" section and the "hype alerts" section.
Beware of telephone scams
A number of people on campus have received e-mail regarding telephone fraud schemes. This is not a new problem, but the Office of Information Technologies (OIT) security staff would like to remind everyone to be wary both at work and at home.
Although most 800-number phone calls are free, some are not. Watch out for international prefixes like "011" or "809." Due to an increasing number of scams, the Federal Trade Commission provides detailed information on the Web at http://www.ftc. gov/bcp/conline/pubs/tmarkg/800calls. htm>. In addition, AT&T has a news release on the Web at http://www.att.com/press/0996/960916.cha.html.
The most recent scam is an e-mail message similar to this:
"From: 'Global Communications' @demon.net
"Subject: Unpaid account
"I am writing to give you a final 24 hrs to settle your outstanding account. If I have not received the settlement in full, I will commence legal proceedings without further delay. If you would like to discuss this matter to avoid court action, call Mike Murray at Global Communications on +1 809 496 2700."
Do not call the number. 809 numbers are billed like 900 numbers. If you suspect that a telephone service is questionable or that you have been the victim of fraud, please review the information on the FTC's Web page and follow the instructions. If the fraud involves a campus phone, contact your network service team:
·Administrative Team: 255-0001
·Statutory/Library Team: 255-4555
·Endowed Team: 255-1999
If you have any other questions or concerns, contact Diane Sempler, manager, Network Service Teams dms4@ cornell.edu or Barbara Skoblick, OIT Security Officer bs10@cornell.edu.
Please send us your feedback! If you have questions or comments about
this column, send e-mail to citnews@cornell.edu. For more technology news visit
the CIT News@cornell.edu Web site at http://www.cit.cornell.edu/cit-pubs/news/.
This column is compiled and edited by Daisy Dailey of CIT.