Author Topic: Virex site infected?  (Read 2998 times)

Offline Gregg

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Virex site infected?
« on: August 07, 2007, 07:56:44 PM »
I haven't been able to successfully update Virex since February!

At first I thought the problem was with Stuffit Expander. I replaced that (with help from a TS member) with the "last" version for OS9. Then I thought the problem was my browser, because the download wouldn't behave normally. Well, tonight the download seemed to proceed as it always had when it worked. But, the file did not appear to be complete (generic icon) and would not execute (creator could not be found).

What's going on? Has anyone gotten this to work lately?

I realize there may not be many Virex users out there. Maybe the developer has a help site. I might have to look for that.
Ya gotta applaud those bunnies for sacrificing their hearing just so some guy in Cupertino can have better TV reception.

Offline Xairbusdriver

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Virex site infected?
« Reply #1 on: August 07, 2007, 08:44:13 PM »
QUOTE
I realize there may not be many Virex users out there.
The only thing smaller than the number of Virex users is the number of reasons to use Virex! smile.gif What on earth do they "update"? Oh yeah, those things that come in on PC sent emails that you might forward to another PC user. rolleyes.gif
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Offline jepinto

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« Reply #2 on: August 08, 2007, 07:28:00 AM »
Gregg:  Can you download the file from the Pure Mac site?

Some interesting reading at a couple of sites.  Mainly the usual line "Macs don't have virii" (nice!) but also the warning that we
QUOTE
Cross-platfrom threats, such as many of the Office macro viruses, can also be a problem for Mac users.
that goes on to say we could unwittingly pass them on to Win users.  And if you are in a corporate atmosphere, or, like Parker, in a school that requires it.....

From ClamAV-freeware, so it's not the money!
QUOTE
Back in the days before OS X, the number of viruses which attacked Macintosh users totaled somewhere between about 60 and 80. Today, the number of viruses attacking OS X users is...NONE! However, this doesn't mean we should get complacent about checking incoming email attachments or web downloads, for two reasons. Firstly, there's no guarantee that we Mac users will continue to enjoy the status quo, but more importantly, the majority of the computing world use machines running MS Windows, for which an enormous quantity of viruses exist, so we must be vigilant in checking the files we pass on to our friends and colleagues etc. For example, if you're a wise person and you've turned MS Office's macro support off then you're not going to notice that virus which is hiding inside this month's edition of "Extreme Ironing.doc" which your friend sent you. If you then forward that document to a less wise person who has not turned off the macro support, then you have most likely just sent him a shiny new Pandora's Box with a sign saying "Open this end"!
Flippancy aside, I'm sure you get the idea: check the file before opening and/or sending it on to someone else. This gives you the opportunity to avoid the file altogether or at least copy and paste any vital information into a new document and send that instead.
« Last Edit: August 08, 2007, 07:31:26 AM by jepinto »
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Offline Gregg

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Virex site infected?
« Reply #3 on: August 08, 2007, 07:40:17 AM »
Thanks for the tip, Jennie. I've e-mailed the topic to my real address so I won't forget to try that site. Busy night, so maybe tomorrow...
Ya gotta applaud those bunnies for sacrificing their hearing just so some guy in Cupertino can have better TV reception.

Offline Xairbusdriver

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Virex site infected?
« Reply #4 on: August 08, 2007, 03:12:10 PM »
OK, I mentioned the "unwittingly" passing on problem. One.
Required by employer/school. Two
MS Macros. Three.

Seems to me that number 3 actually causes numbers 1 and 2. But I'll leave the count at 3. Are there that many actual users of Virex? dntknw.gif Especially with the free apps around?

Nor am I saying there will never be a Mac virus. But I doubt that the Virex site would be down because of a real virus, don't you think they would be using ClamAV, anyway?! smile.gif
THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF COUNTRIES
Those that use metric = #1 Measurement system
And the United States = The Banana system
CAUTION! Childhood vaccinations cause adults! :yes:

Offline Paddy

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Virex site infected?
« Reply #5 on: August 08, 2007, 03:26:14 PM »
Remember, Gregg uses OS 9. No freebies with that OS that I'm aware of, nor anyone still developing much of anything for it either (probably including virii!!) I stopped bothering with anti-virus software in OS 9 long before I adopted OS X over 6 years ago.

Others have been having trouble with Virex updates too, apparently:

http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo...p;mode=feedback
"If computers get too powerful, we can organize them into committees. That'll do them in." ~Author unknown •iMac 5K, 27" 3.6Ghz i9 (2019) • 16" M1 MBP(2021) • 9.7" iPad Pro • iPhone 13

Offline Gregg

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Virex site infected?
« Reply #6 on: August 09, 2007, 07:23:08 AM »
Thanks for the link. I'll have to check what version I have. smile.gif
Ya gotta applaud those bunnies for sacrificing their hearing just so some guy in Cupertino can have better TV reception.

Offline swhitset

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Virex site infected?
« Reply #7 on: August 10, 2007, 10:02:30 AM »
Those Windows Word macro viruses aren't even a problem for Windows users anymore since Microsoft patched them several years ago.  So.... the only way they could possibly cause a problem even in a Windows box is if a new exploit is found.  This would require the writing of a new virus that would run on a modern version of Office. They would not run on an OS 9 version of Office.  I can see absolutely no reason to be running Virex.  Greg I know I am speaking in absolutes, but in this case I believe it is warranted.

Steve
« Last Edit: August 10, 2007, 10:02:58 AM by swhitset »

Offline Gregg

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« Reply #8 on: August 10, 2007, 01:04:19 PM »
The only reason for me to run Virex is its track record; the number of "virii" it has caught and killed in 9 years: 0! wink.gif
Ya gotta applaud those bunnies for sacrificing their hearing just so some guy in Cupertino can have better TV reception.

Offline dboh

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« Reply #9 on: August 10, 2007, 02:12:39 PM »
Are you sure there's still support for 9? Norton stopped updating virus definitions for 9 back in November 2005.

Offline swhitset

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« Reply #10 on: August 10, 2007, 04:48:57 PM »
so it has caught 0.  ummmm  ok  


Steve

Offline sandbox

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« Reply #11 on: August 11, 2007, 11:07:05 AM »
In some industries, whether you use a mac or not you will be expected to have anti-virus software, and clients and or service providers in the medical field will not hesitate to ask. Not using it is considered neglectful in some circles. I use Sophos since ClamAV was not an accurate option 2 years ago, but today is a different story, today ClamAV could be considered the best AV software available. http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?do...;WT.svl=news1_1

Offline Gregg

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« Reply #12 on: August 11, 2007, 01:11:41 PM »
QUOTE(dboh @ Aug 10 2007, 02:12 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Are you sure there's still support for 9? Norton stopped updating virus definitions for 9 back in November 2005.

If they've stopped updating, it would sure be nice if there was an announcement to that effect on the download page.

QUOTE(swhitset @ Aug 10 2007, 04:48 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
so it has caught 0.  ummmm  ok  
Steve

I figure that's 100 percent! wink.gif
Ya gotta applaud those bunnies for sacrificing their hearing just so some guy in Cupertino can have better TV reception.

Offline dboh

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« Reply #13 on: August 11, 2007, 01:39:07 PM »
As I recall, Norton never announced end of support on their Web site. There was a representative who ran a forum over at MFI who announced it there. However, I noticed that the file size of the downloads had stopped increasing -- a sure sign that nothing new was being added in. I think for some months, they'd just been redating the same file.

Offline Gregg

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Virex site infected?
« Reply #14 on: August 12, 2007, 04:39:46 PM »
QUOTE(dboh @ Aug 11 2007, 01:39 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
As I recall, Norton never announced end of support on their Web site. There was a representative who ran a forum over at MFI who announced it there. However, I noticed that the file size of the downloads had stopped increasing -- a sure sign that nothing new was being added in. I think for some months, they'd just been redating the same file.


Of course, it occured to me early on that the whole thing might be a sham. I paid once for the software, and at a very reasonable cost. The updates were free for forever. So, I figured they aren't giving stuff away that's too valuable.

Don't bother asking why I continued to download the updates every month. I'll save you the trouble: dntknw.gif
Ya gotta applaud those bunnies for sacrificing their hearing just so some guy in Cupertino can have better TV reception.