NWA-PCUG Newsletter Article, December 2003
Computer News and Updates
by Ira Wilsker
ira-wilsker@apcug.org
(click to email author)


Recently I wrote about safety recalls of computers and related products; there has now been another recall. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Sony announced a voluntary recall of thousands of Sony VAIO notebook computers. In a recent CPSC press release, “Users could receive a mild electric shock when the recalled computers are connected to a phone line and the phone rings.” The notebooks recalled are model numbers PCG-FRV25 and PCG-FRV27, sold during the summer of 2003. One symptom of the problem, according to Sony, is unusually slow modem speeds, typically less than 24k, while the computer is powered by its AC adapter. If you have one of these Sony VAIO notebooks you should immediately disconnect the modem from the phone line and contact Sony at (800) 880-9743, or go to the Sony website at http://www.sony.com/pcsupport. Sony will repair the computer and extend the warranty on the repaired notebooks to two years from the date of original purchase, at no charge.

IBM and LiteOn Technology have expanded a previously announced recall on computer monitors. The recall now covers 119,000 monitors manufactured by LiteOn and sold by IBM. These monitors were manufactured with a circuit board that can overheat and smoke, and may be a fire hazard. According to the CPSC, there have been seven reports of overheated monitors emitting smoke, one report of property damage, and one injury. These monitors include CRT monitors with the model number G51, and touch screen monitors with a model number G51t. On the back of the units may be additional model numbers 6541-02N, 6541-02E, 6541-02S, 6541-Q0N, 6541-Q0E, and 6541-Q0S. These monitors were manufactured in a number of countries, and manufactured between June 1997 and September 1998. The recalled monitors were sold directly by IBM and MicroTouch Systems, as well as retailers such as Best Buy, CompUSA, Office Max, and Radio Shack. If you have one of these monitors stop using it immediately, and call IBM at (866) 644-3155, 8am – 6pm Central time Monday through Friday. Recalled monitors will be repaired or replaced at no charge. The recall information is also on the IBM website at http://www.ibm.com/pc/g51recall.

With computers and peripherals becoming ubiquitous household and workplace items, it is inevitable that more of them will become the subject of recalls in the future. This is one of the many reasons why it is necessary for all computer users to complete an appropriate warranty registration process with the manufacturer. Warranty registration will enable the manufacturer to contact the user directly in the event of a recall. The CPSC also has a free subscription email alert service for all new recalls available on its website at http://www.cpsc.gov under the “Recalls / News” heading.

In mid-September I wrote about a Microsoft security warning that there were several viruses and Trojans circulating as authentic looking, but counterfeit emails from Microsoft. These emails appearing to be from Microsoft have again reappeared in large numbers and contain a variety of viruses and Trojans that can wreak havoc with the victim’s computer, attack other computers in a “denial of service attack”, capture personal information and forward it to destinations unknown, steal email addresses from address books and flood acquaintances with the counterfeit virus laden announcements, and cause a host of other vicious problems.

One of the most prolific of these Microsoft imposters, which has already appeared in several versions, is the Gibe or Swen worm. According to Panda, one of the leading antivirus publishers, about two percent of American computers, which is well over a million machines, are currently infected with this worm. As I type this, Panda rates Gibe/Swen as the number one virus infecting American computers. An especially insidious characteristic of this worm, in addition to its near perfect forgery of a security alert from Microsoft, is its ability to disable antivirus software, firewalls, and other protective software. This leaves the computer open to hacker attacks and additional virus and worm infections. The worm can propagate not just by impersonating Microsoft, but also via file sharing services such as KaZaA, chat utilities such as IRC, and directly across networks. The worm also disables Regedit, Windows integral registry editing utility. Once infected, a keystroke logging utility captures usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, and other personal information, compromising the security of the computer and its network, and making the victim an ideal candidate for identity theft and other financial crimes.

The shame of the Gibe/Swen worm is that millions of computer users are still oblivious to the many announcements that have been in the media that Microsoft does not send out patches and security updates by email, and that any such email will certainly contain harmful content. This worm is just one of a long series of such malware utilizing “human engineering” to trick the victim into opening the attachment, falsely believing that there is some beneficial content to the email.

Reiterating advice made many times here in the past, it is imperative that all users be suspicious of attachments even though the attachments may appear to come from trusted friends or companies. It is also important to periodically check for viruses utilizing a utility other than the antivirus software installed on the computer, which may have been unknowingly disabled. Free online scans such as those at housecall.antivirus.com, http://www.pandasecurity.com, or http://www.bitdefender.com are an excellent way to verify that a computer has not been infected, or to determine that it has become a victim of a dangerous virus or worm.

Ira Wilsker is the Advisor for Region 8, APCUG Representative & Bylaws Chair for the Golden Triangle PC Club, a columnist for The Examiner in Beaumont, Texas, and has two radio shows. He also graciously shares his articles with the APCUG editors.

There is no restriction against any non-profit group using this article as long as it is kept in context with proper credit given the author. The Editorial Committee of the Association of Personal Computer User Groups (APCUG), an international organization of which this group is a member, brings this article to you.



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