Important please read (Whit)
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The ClubHouse: General Discussion Archives: Important please read (Whit)

Whit4you

Tuesday, July 30, 2002 - 07:29 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Don't mean to worry anyone but I think this is important... I recieved a file in my email that was subject heading "Clubhouse Administration" - because I thought it was from TVCH I opened it and dl'd the file - which is called VLINK.ZIP
the sender is tkblunschi@earthlink.net

at any rate - it could very well be a file sent to me by a friend here at the TVCH but I doubt that - and don't think it's from the ADMIN here because they'd have put something besides a zip file - at ANY rate - Norton's antivirus freaked out over the file and says it's a virus - quranteed it and I deleted it - as I said it COULD be a harmless file sent by the admin here OR
it could be some idiot trying to cause trouble here at the TVCH or them using the "Clubhouse administration" might just be a fluke - but I'm writing this in case it's someone gathering names from this forum and sending out a virus - not everyone here uses a virus program.

Anyhow Neil / Ryn delete this msg if you think I'm just spreading false worries k :)

Kiss*

Whitney

Twiggyish

Tuesday, July 30, 2002 - 07:39 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Thanks for the warning! I hate these things!

Ryn

Tuesday, July 30, 2002 - 09:02 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
We have no member registered with that address - just so ya know.

With all the e-mail viruses running around I just imagine its a coincidence, never hurts to be careful though.

Sanfranjoshfan

Tuesday, July 30, 2002 - 10:14 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Whit, I did a search on google for "vlink.zip" and I found it listed:

http://www.ticalc.org/archives/files/fileinfo/38/3850.html

If Norton says it's a virus, I don't know if I'd trust anything on this page...but they do have it listed as big as life!

It says it's a "Silent linking progarm for the TI-86. DOS, real mode, 32-bit."

I don't know what that means. I use Mac OSX . I occasionally get copies of the klez virus and other stuff from PC Outlook Express users, but so far I've never gotten a Mac version.

Anyhow....just thought you might like this info....it might tell you something that I couldn't comprehend. :-)

Whit4you

Tuesday, July 30, 2002 - 10:49 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Sanfran thanks - I'll take a look at that link... the file name and file is named VLINK however the actual file could have been anything including a virus and they renamed it (the virus) to vlink ya know what I mean?

The actual Vlink program itself may not be a virus I might dl the file from that site and see how Nortons reacts to that out of curiosity.

In all my years Norton's only found a few virus's and no way I"m gonna run the thing to find out LOL - specially since it came from an unsolicited source - email addy I don't know and it didnt say anything just the file attachment.

Anyhow this really has nothing to do with the TVCH I just thought - just in case the person did get my addy from this site - I'd let others know cause some people don't use a virus checker.. and having to reformat in the middle of BB would be a total pain in da butt LOL.

I think most people KNOW better then to open up an unknown .exe file from anyone they don't trust it's just the fact that the subject heading was Clubhouse administration that lead me to think I'd give a heads up here.

Back to the BB chat now for me lol

Whit4you

Tuesday, July 30, 2002 - 10:53 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Well outta curiousity i went to that site and dl'd the REAL Vlink.exe and Norton's gave it the A-OK - (no virus) Still not gonna run it just a bit paraniod NOW lol - but it's clear that whoever sent me that file just renamed their virus to vlink.exe (A common tactic..) So just a warn if you want a program called Vlink get it from that site listed by sanfran not an email....

:)

Ta ta :)

Sanfranjoshfan

Tuesday, July 30, 2002 - 10:56 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Guess I was confused....I thought you said the file you got in the mail was called "vlink.zip"....or was it "vlink.exe"?

In any case....I don't know what I'm talking about....7 years on a Mac and I've never been infected with a virus (and didn't even use a virus checker for most of that time).

Whit4you

Tuesday, July 30, 2002 - 10:58 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
the file I got in the mail was vlink.zip - however my nortons is programmed to watch even zips...inclosed in the zip file is a file called vlink.exe (and one other file I deleted it so don't remember what it was some very small ...readme file or something like that - wasn't willing to click on it lol )

Whit4you

Tuesday, July 30, 2002 - 11:00 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I could forward you the email if you'd like... long as you promise me you won't RUN the darn .exe lol - see if your virus program freaks out too..?

FYI a ZIP file on a pc is like a SIT file on a mac (a zipped up copy with stuff in it in this case the stuff in it was the virus (or so norton's said) and an additional file..that I wasn't willing to open either - a txt file I think it was)

Whit4you

Tuesday, July 30, 2002 - 11:03 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Ryn if your arround could you put (from Whit) in the topic .. I think someone might interpret this to mean - Whit should read the thread..ya know? So anyone who doesnt know me wont open it lol.. thos ewho do will read it even if it is just to me outta curiosty I imagine LOL

Sanfranjoshfan

Tuesday, July 30, 2002 - 11:05 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Whit....don't bother to send it. On a Mac, .exe files don't work...they are totally incompatible with the Mac OS....unless you have VirtualPC installed, which I don't don't. (Besides, I currently don't even have any virus software running....) <cringing at how stoopid that must sound to everyone> :-)

Whit4you

Tuesday, July 30, 2002 - 11:11 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Sanfran - it's ok I've gone a year or more at a time without a virus program running.. long as you know what your doing it can be safe to not run one.. when your not running one you shouldnt even accept an executable file from a good friend....cause that good friend may NOT know they are sending you a virus...LOL. If your computer savvy and know what your doing it's not stupid to not run one... but man so many people think they can trust their best friend in a case like that you can't ... not unless you don't mind doing a reformat... many virus's are programmed to go off on "4-20" or "1-1-01" or whatever..ya know... so just cause your firend didn't get a virus from that program doesnt mean it's not a virus...and not all virus's will be found by a virus scanner.

Anyhow Sanfran - it's sorta like the millions of people who still have unprotected sex - but a hd virus aint near as serious as a lifetime of herpes or worse yet..aids ya know..>:)

Sanfranjoshfan

Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 09:32 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I know I know....I *should* be more careful. It's just that the 7 years I've been using a Mac (and many of my friends do, too) I have never met any Mac user that has gotten a virus....although I know it's possible. We all get copies of PC viruses (that won't run on a Mac without VirtualPC installed, even if we wanted it to) from PC users, though. Now that I'm running OSX, I really need to be more careful....it's based on UNIX and I think is more likely to have viruses written to affect it than the old MacOS.

Oh yeah....I know about ".zip"...I use both". zip" and ".sit" formats for compression, depending on who I am emailing...