Kazaa Virus

[bogi]

Virus News. Saturday, May 18, 2002
************************************************** ****************
Kaspersky Labs, an international data-security software developer,
announces the detection of the network worm "Worm.Kazaa.Benjamin" - the
first malicious program to spread through the KaZaA file exchange
network.

The KaZaA network is one of the most popular file exchange networks
using Peer-to-Peer (P2P) technology. Millions of people from all around
the world are active users of the network that allows them to quickly
dig up files they seek (such as MP3 files) and give other users access
to data contained on their own computers.

On an infected computer "Benjamin" creates a directory accessible to
other users of the KaZaA network and regularly copies itself into this
directory under a multitude of different names, the amount of which
counts several thousand. When a network user conducts a search for a
file under a name corresponding with one the worm's pseudonyms the
unsuspecting user is given the chance to download it from the infected
computer. Thus, this is how Benjamin spreads itself through the KaZaA
network.

In addition to eating up free disk space Benjamin takes additional
actions: under the name of the infected computer's owner it opens an
anonymous web site from which it displays advertising banners. This way
Benjamin's creator profits by the resulting increase in advertising
displays.

"Benjamin" is not the first known worm to exploit public access P2P file
exchange networks. Previously the Gnutella file exchange network fell
victim to virus creators. "This event once again demonstrates the
necessity to filter all incoming files for viruses, regardless of how
well protected this or any other network is. Before use all data should
be run through a mandatory check for virus code using the latest virus
database update," commented Denis Zenkin, Kaspersky Labs Head of
Corporate Communications.

The defense against Benjamin is has already been added to the Kaspersky
Anti-Virus database.

More detailed information covering "Worm.Kazaa.Benjamin" can be accessed
in the Kaspersky Virus Encyclopedia:
http://www.viruslist.com/eng/viruslist.html?id=49790.



I got infected but I think its gone now.

[Adam Richey]

I know that Grokster kinda partners with Kazaa and they are kinda like brother and sister. Will Grokster incur any trouble? Also, DON'T get Morpheus either. A huge article a while back about how it slowly deletes files off of your computer.

[MarkA]

LOL, no, Morpheus doesn't delete files on your computer. That's MPAA/RIAA/some other anti-copy propaganda. That said, Morpheus ain't very good either. I'm not sure if Grokster will be affected since I have Grokster. Grokster and KaZaA both use the same network - FastTrack

[Steve Mehs]

Is the new version of Morpheus out yet? The preview edition sucked big time. I just wanna try it out. I think Kazaa Lite is were Im going to stay.

[Adam Richey]

Trust me. Morpheus DOES do that. It can't be propaganda when I used to have Morpheus and it REALLY screwed up my computer over time.

[MarkA]

Steve, fair warning if you use KaZaA - it has a program called b3d Projector included with it, and it will use your computer without your permission once activated and is almost impossible to remove, if you want direction to do so (won't hurt KaZaA) ask me and I'll find them

If you want a good client for Gnutella (the network the NEW Morpheus uses after they were kicked off FastTrack), try BearShare

Ogre, that's nonsense. Me and millions of others used Morpheus with absolutely no problems, and I carefully watch my computer. If it was true, a lot more people would know. On some systems, their advertising package messed the computer up (made it run slower and show ads even when Morpheus wasn't running). This is a bug I've heard of I believe has been fixed - but it still didn't delete files.

[Steve Mehs]

Kazaa Lite doesnt include B3D or cydoor or any of the crap Kazaz has. Kazaa Lite has been pretty good to me, speeds most of the time are at 5kbps or above which is increadablely fast for me and the program it self has been very stable.

[Bogy]

With all these, you have to be very careful what you give permission to be downloaded. Every time you load a program you run through the "Do you accept this license/agreement? If so click 'Yes'" boxes. We get used to just automatically clicking "yes." (at least I do.) Then you end up giving permission for gator or some other crap to take over your computer. I have spent hours getting stuff my computer that my kids have downloaded not knowing any better. I have issued strict instructions that nobody is to download anything onto my computer unless I give permission and oversee the process. Then I sit down at my computer and find somebody has downloaded junk on my computer again. Raising children is so much fun.

[Steve Mehs]

Yes the regual version of Kazaa is bad with that. First time I installed it I made sure to unchkeck Gator, BonziBuddy, SaveNow, DirecTV DSL and numerous others from that one window that appears during the installation. Usually Im against this but Bogy have you ever considered downloading a program that will restrict access to certian programs.

[MarkA]

What you need to do is give your kids their own computer Seriously, build them a cheap box to call their own. Problem solved No need to destroy a kid's future - which is what Steve's idea will do. If I wasn't allowed to do anything I wanted on my computer starting when my parents first got one (I was like 10) - which included totally trashing it and needing to reformat quite a few times - I wouldn't know nearly as much as I do about computers.

[Steve Mehs]

Destrory the kids future? What??? I was just suggesting a simple program like the one demo computers at WalMart used to have. I wasnt suggesting a total lock on all programs just P2P programs to restrict downloads of crap. Im against PC cencorship and all for experimenting around, but the issue here is downloading garbage programs that could harm the computer and are diffficult to remove.

[MarkA]

Those lockout programs prevent the installation of any software (think, they couldn't selective choose what software not to allow the kid to install since the computer does't have it yet); thus destroying the kid's future.

[Bogy]

As a matter of fact, just in the past couple of weeks I set my son up with his own computer. Its an old pentium, and if he screws it up its no big loss. It has limited storage space, but the partition he has been saving music to on my computer is set up as a network drive so he can keep it all stored in the same location. When he wants to burn a disc he will still need to use my computer, but when he is downloading he can tie up his own. He can download whatever he wants on that computer, as long as he keeps the virus scanner up to date.

[MarkA]

See, that's the way to go Bogy I hope your son has fun.

[invaliduser88]

Running Adaware on a regular bases will help you find out how much scumware may have ended up coming in under that radar.