Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

New Worm Chats with Users on AIM

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the talking-it-up dept.

goldseries writes "CNet is reporting that a new IM worm chats with users to get them to down load a file containing a virus. The virus replicates its self and sends its self out to user's buddy lists. The virus will reply 'lol no this is not a virus.' The virus hides users from seeing the messages sent out to members of their buddy list. Viruses are evolving; now they will even talk to you."

21 of 577 comments (clear)

  1. lol no this is not a virus by pizza_milkshake · · Score: 5, Funny

    my God, this one will be unstoppable.

    1. Re:lol no this is not a virus by prionic6 · · Score: 5, Informative

      This will come in to you from another AIM-user you KNOW and who is infected. Not some stranger.

    2. Re:lol no this is not a virus by The+Amazing+Fish+Boy · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Also: if we used proper grammar and spelling, I think it would be easier to filter spam. I'm not involved with the spam problem so much, but it seems to me "words" like v14gr4 would cause problems. Meanwhile if we could detect "v14gr4" isn't a word in our dictionary, we might be able to flag the email as potential spam. Then if you were working on something where the project's code name was "v14gr4" or something, the word would appear underlined, you would click it and click "Add word to dictionary." I don't know if that's even the best way, but I think if everyone used proper spelling and grammer, computer comprehension (and filtering) would be able to improve. I might be wrong.

    3. Re:lol no this is not a virus by intangible · · Score: 5, Interesting

      How about, and here's a tough one: Microsoft unhide the @%$@#$%@ file extensions on everything by default. WTF is up with hiding them?

      How many trojans are named "something.jpg.exe" or just have a picture icon, or html icon when it's truly an exe? What motard at MS thought hiding "the oh so complex" file extension was a good thing?

      Seriously, this one has bugged me for years. Dumbing down computer interfaces beyond a certain point is just asking for trouble.

    4. Re:lol no this is not a virus by MoogMan · · Score: 5, Funny

      I can imagine it now:

      dingALing!

      "lol no this is not a virus. but u gotta chown root:root notavirus; chmod o+xS notavirus to read it!"

  2. What is this, a turing test? by grasshoppa · · Score: 5, Funny

    Question: How can you tell you are talking to a virus on AIM?

    Answer: It sounds more intelligent than a normal user

    --
    Mod me down with all of your hatred and your journey towards the dark side will be complete!
  3. Turing Test by fuyu-no-neko · · Score: 5, Funny

    There's 2 ways to pass the Turing Test: make the program more intelligent, or pick examiners who are more dumb. Virus writers pick the later option.

    --
    Don't take the above poster too seriously. He doesn't.
  4. Not a virus post by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Tell me more about now they will even talk to you.

  5. If it's so smart... by Brent+Spiner · · Score: 5, Funny

    how do I know that the virus didn't submit this Slashdot article? Maybe it's just propagating more lies.

    /Puts tin-foil hat on

    --
    Reality test... am I dreaming?
    1. Re:If it's so smart... by bcmm · · Score: 5, Funny

      We have a new /. meme on our hands people...

      --
      # cat /dev/mem | strings | grep -i llama
      Damn, my RAM is full of llamas.
  6. I'm holding out for the one that actually talks... by Vokkyt · · Score: 5, Funny

    I mean, typing its own message is good and all, but not that impressive or scary. Now, when it is able to hijack the read text feature and play psychological mind tricks on me, that's impressive:

    "Click the link Dave...why haven't you clicked the link? Do you not like me any more? If you don't, I could just go over here in the corner and format myself...after all, you don't like me anymore, else you would click the link..."

    The only way it can get better after that is changing psychological mind tricks to Jedi mind tricks:

    "You will click the link."

  7. The newest front by sammy+baby · · Score: 5, Insightful
    The virus will reply 'lol no this is not a virus.'


    My friends, we are fighting a war: a war on stupidity.

    And clearly, we are losing.
    1. Re:The newest front by Gadgetfreak · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You know, honestly, we've been fighting stupidity for quite some time now. More and more it seems like most of my fellow Americans want someone else to take responsibility, and someone else to take care of their problems for them. There's a general lack of desire to be intelligent or self-reliant. With advancing technology, more and more people begin to fall behind... it's getting to a point where people just aren't smart enough to take care of themselves.

      --
      "No fair, you changed the outcome by measuring it!" - Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth
  8. Solution by Red+Flayer · · Score: 5, Funny

    "The virus hides users from seeing the messages sent out to members of their buddy list. Viruses are evolving; now they will even talk to you."

    That's why I Touring-test every single person I ever chat with on IM clients. Sure, no one really wants to talk to me after 30 questions, but I kinda like sitting in an empty chat room.

    --
    "Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
  9. Re:Eliza Virus? by meringuoid · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Let me know when it will have hot N3TS3X with you, and I'm in!

    The frightening thing is, that would probably be pretty easy to code. The net is full of freely-available pornographic stories; extract a whole bunch of phrases from those, use an Eliza-like system to select the right one for the circumstances and incorporate elements of what the user just said into your response...

    You could write up a pretty effective cybersex bot, and you could program it to offer to send across 'cam pix' once in a while. Which would, of course, be virus-ridden.

    Better yet, once you've written it you could have it communicate with sad lusers via SMS at, oh, 20p per message. And make a killing. Excuse me, I have an Eliza-bot to hack up with some pornography. bbl, d00dz.

    --
    Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
  10. LOL by jayayeem · · Score: 5, Funny

    This post is not a troll

    --
    I metamoderate, therefore I am
  11. My conversation by Sheepdot · · Score: 5, Funny

    A conversation I had with my littlest sister this morning:

    missmag: http://myspace04.myphotos.cc/clarissa17.pif
    missmag: lol thats cool
    sheep.: what is cool? It's a pif, don't run those.
    missmag: lol no its not its a virus
    sheep.: holy crap, you're finally trying to follow in your brother's footsteps?
    missmag: lol thats cool
    sheep.: damn straight, I'll download it now. Let's see which of us can figure out what it does first. It'll be a game!
    missmag: lol no its not its a virus
    sheep.: uhhh.. I'm noticing that you're repeating yourself.
    missmag: lol thats cool
    sheep.: oh okay, I didn't know that's what kids were into now.
    missmag: http://myspace04.myphotos.cc/clarissa17.pif
    sheep.: yeah, I knew myspace was a big hit.
    sheep.: back in my day it was BBSing, we used to trade porn for games and games for porn.
    missmag: lol thats cool
    sheep.: yeah, it got to be really popular community-wise, but I guess you all like myspace cause it's the new "hip" thing, right?
    missmag: lol no its not, its a virus
    sheep.: yeah I was thinking the same thing about livejournal
    missmag: lol thats cool
    sheep.: Okay now I'm certain there's something wrong, Maggie, are you there?
    missmag: lol no its not, its a virus
    sheep.: ...

  12. Next step, EBAY. by neo · · Score: 5, Funny

    The computer will take over your computer, and then start selling off items in your house that it can see in your webcam on ebay, paid to it's own paypal account. After the money comes in, it will ditch your computer leaving you with a negative score on ebay.

    In terminator we gave the computer the ability to control everything, but in the real world they'll just take it for themselves.

  13. Note by Sheepdot · · Score: 5, Informative

    Note: The slashdot article says 'lol no this is not a virus.' The CNET article says "lol no its not its a virus".

  14. Re:Eliza Virus? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I put on my robe and wizard hat.

  15. Uhh... Windows DOES have the Execute "bit" by AKosygin · · Score: 5, Informative

    On NTFS formatted filesystems, you can use the ACL to default set it so that all files saved will not have the "Execute File" permission. You just deselect "Allow" for the line that says "Traverse Folder / Execute File" for the "CREATOR OWNER" entry and "Apply onto" "Files Only" for the scope and allow propagation down.

    Or, you can go into your Group Policy Object (Local Computer or Domain) and by default in your Software Restrictions Policy disallow execution unless they were in areas of the file system you designate, I.E.: "Program Files" folder. And if I remember correctly, saved files from current versions of IM programs are saved in "My Documents" outside of the "Program Files" folder by default.