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April 2nd, 2002, 02:35 AM
#1
Junior Member
Anyone know about chocolate BALLS?
Ok, sounded weird but it probably caught your attention. I looked thru the security databases on the web and open forums but didn't find anything. I recieved an email that was a recipe about making chocolate balls in the text of the message. But it then had an attachment called "floaf.exe", it also came from someone I didn't know. I didn't know the person so I didn't open the attachment, and then I forwarded it to the abuse@ prodigy.net (server where the original senders email came from). Does anyone know if this was a virus or malicious attachment? Or was I just being paranoid?
It sounded really strange, .exe email attachment for a text message about a recipe.
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April 2nd, 2002, 02:39 AM
#2
Uh...yeh, probably a virus. Tried scanning the thing, though?
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April 2nd, 2002, 02:40 AM
#3
I just checked Symantec for it, and it returned nothing.
http://securityresponse.symantec.com.../vinfodb.html/
It could be a new virus.
Either way, you did the right thing  by not opening it and letting Prodigy Know.
Good Luck.
Above ground, vertical, and exchanging gasses.
Now you see me | Now you don't
"Relax, Bender; It was just a dream. There's no such thing as two." ~ Fry
sometimes my computer goes down on me
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April 2nd, 2002, 02:45 AM
#4
I would have done the same thing, but then I'm psycho about my email....I deleted a message from my best friend the other day, cause she sent it from her parents house and I didn't recognize the address, and the subject was Hey you....so sometimes I may go overboard....lol.
But I would have done the same thing...
Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.
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April 2nd, 2002, 04:57 AM
#5
Junior Member
I didn't scan the attachment pretty much just steered clear of it. Here's a newbie question though: even if the attachment had come back clean from the virus scan, because it was an executeable file, couldn't it still have been malicious?
I recieved an auto reply from Prodigy, letting me know that the email had been recieved. The attachment was also broken down to the code level and while there was a lot of "apparent encoding" there seemed to be some identifiable strings similar to the "REGEDIT4" string of a .reg file. I could be wrong about this but it sure looked familiar.
P.S. I watch the forum off and on a bit but don't post a whole lot, just wanted to say thanks to those who have taken the time to reply.
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April 2nd, 2002, 04:58 AM
#6
remember that a lot of virus/worm infectors come with random filenames/attachments...so floaf.exe could mean nothing...and still be dangerous...and i'd bet my last drink that it is....
rule number one....never everevereverevereverever run an exe you recieve in the mail...from ANYONE...even someone you know...we all know enoguh about mail-everyone-in-outlook-address-book to know that even your friends can send nasty stuff...
you did the right thing...consider yourself pleased with yourself...btw....you can always run a v-scan on your attachment dir ....should tell you what you got...
I used to be With IT. But then they changed what IT was. Now what I'm with isn't IT, and what's IT seems scary and weird." - Abe Simpson
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April 2nd, 2002, 04:59 AM
#7
No prob for taking the time to say my so-called helpful sentences, hehe. And you're right in saying that it could still have been malicious. I was just asking if you had scanned it anyway, just so I'd know about the file if it came back virus-positive. You did the right thing in just sending it to them, though. Good man!
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April 2nd, 2002, 05:02 AM
#8
even if the attachment had come back clean from the virus scan, because it was an executeable file, couldn't it still have been malicious?
absolutement.....it could be new...or a simple vb exe which says basically...format c: or del *.* which might not be classified as a 'virus"...
think of your computer as your tongue....someone gives you something and says go ahead...lick it...it's ok...are you going to?....
I used to be With IT. But then they changed what IT was. Now what I'm with isn't IT, and what's IT seems scary and weird." - Abe Simpson
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April 2nd, 2002, 05:07 AM
#9
Junior Member
Hey thanks again to everyone, I didn't scan the attachment though. I pretty much stay clear of .exe files. I unfortunately share the system with others and have made it a point as the self appointed B.M.O.C. (big mutha on computer), that they also not open .exe files. This particular attachment was on another users email and was brought to my attention. I forwarded the email to Prodigy and deleted it from the system, lots of precaution has kept this system virus free for almost 3.5 yrs. I appreciate all the advice from everyone.
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April 2nd, 2002, 05:36 AM
#10
Junior Member
 AN ANSWER!!!
 After the replies I got on this discussion, I got to thinking, while I did not scan or open the attachment "floaf.exe", I went back to the Norton report log and found that the file was an infected attachment:
Date: 4/1/02, Time: 08:37:30, ###### on OEMCOMPUTER
The email attachment fLOAF.exe is infected with the W32.Magistr.39921@mm virus.
The file was repaired.
Apparently the user whose email this was sent to either attempted to open the attachment (argh!!!) or Norton caught the infected file when the email was retrieved from the server. I'm sure that Prodigy would catch it and send a reply, but that saves me some additional thumb twidling and unnecessary searching the net.
Thanks to all who replied for at least getting me to think about some other possibilities and finding out more about this virus and viruses in general.
Thumbs up to the board!!!
P.S. ac1dsp3ctrum I will post the Prodigy reply as soon as I get it, it it helps anyone out in watching out for the origin of the email.
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