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The LangaList
Standard Edition

2001-05-31

A Free Email Newsletter from Fred Langa
That Helps You Get More From Your Hardware, 
Software, and Time Online

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1) The "SULFNBK" June 1st Virus Hoax

I've gotten many notes from readers who forwarded a chain letter to me (usually along with 500 other unlucky recipients) that went something like this:

Do you believe that a friend of mine sent me an alert and the procedure that we have to follow for the possible infection of S U L F N B K . E X E . And I had checked, just to make sure. An then... the file was there, hidden even of McAfee and Norton, maybe waiting something to start work....

The original recipients of this note checked their systems and were alarmed when they find S U L F N B K . E X E  there. Well, S U L F N B K . E X E  file is a normal part of Windows that's used in managing long file names (the file is usually found in  in your C:\Windows\Command folder). Antivirus routines don't detect the file because it's not a virus. The "virus" warning is a complete hoax.

There is a worm that can arrive as an email attachment named S U L F N B K . E X E, but that has nothing to do with the current hoax. All the major AV tools know how to handle that worm; and by now everyone should know that you should  never, ever---- EVER--- click on any email attachment, no matter what it's named or whom it's from,  without first at least running it through an AV scanner. And in any case, the use of the name S U L F N B K . E X E  is coincidental. The worm could have been called any Windows file; there's nothing special about S U L F N B K . E X E.

What's more, virus chain letters are almost always hoaxes: A good rule of thumb is NEVER to forward any email just because it says "Urgent: Pass this on to everyone!" or comes from a buddy. In fact, anytime you get any email with a "pass this on to everyone!" in it, or a letter that has been forwarded dozens of times, it's almost always (99.99999% of the time) a hoax or scam designed solely to generate a chain letter--- that is, to trick the gullible into perpetrating the hoax.

Don't be taken in! It only takes *literally* a minute to find out about if any email about:

--supposed virus alerts (even if the email says they're "confirmed by IBM, Microsoft, AOL and Oracle" or some such)
--pending legislation, including email surcharges and taxes
--sick/dying/missing children who need email or prayers
--body part theft rings
--free vacation giveaways
--free money or products from Bill Gates (or Disney or AOL or Nokia or....) to those who forward the most emails
--foreign government workers who will pay you to let them move large sums of money through your bank account
--or any of hundreds of similar chain letters.

These are ALL almost always pure, utter hoaxes and scams.

You can make yourself chain-letter-proof by taking literally about  a minute to check up on any claims made in chain letters. There are any number of resources you can use, including:

Symantec Anti Virus Research Center at http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/index.html

McAfee Associates Virus Hoax List at http://vil.mcafee.com/hoax.asp?

Department of Energy Computer Incident Advisory Capability at http://ciac.llnl.gov/ciac/CIACHoaxes.html

Debunking online and email hoaxes: http://www.kumite.com/myths/

The Urban Legends Web Site at http://www.urbanlegends.com

Urban Legends Reference Pages at http://www.snopes.com

Datafellows Hoax Warnings at http://www.Europe.Datafellows.com/news/hoax.htm

ALWAYS take a few seconds to verify the truth of any chain email like this, and then tell your friends ONLY if it proves true. Otherwise, you're not doing your friends any favors, and in fact, you're just helping the hoaxers to waste people's time and bandwidth.

Additional resources to strengthen your BS detectors:

How To Evaluate Internet Research Sources at http://www.virtualsalt.com/evalu8it.htm

How To Evaluate Information Sources at http://www.vuw.ac.nz/~agsmith/evaln/evaln.htm

And, for a lighter take on this very serious subject, please see today's "Just For Grins."

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2) NeoTrace For Free

Several readers have written in to recommend a new, free version of Neotrace, a utility for graphically:

The NeoTrace site says:

NeoTrace is the world's most popular graphical Internet trace route utility. It's used by law enforcement, ISPs, and network professionals all over the world.

NeoTrace Express is a freeware version of the popular NeoTrace tool. This version offers the mapping features of the Professional version and the essential features you need to trace web sites. It's multithreaded, so it's very fast and can simultaneously check multiple hops on the route. It shows the route on a world map with detail on the path taken by your Internet traffic. NeoTrace Express can integrate with Internet Explorer to offer one-click tracing to web sites and URLs.

It's very slick. Check it out at
http://www.neoworx.com/products/ntx/

(And thanks to all who wrote in!)

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3) Karen K's Site Woes, Other Newsletter Sites

Karen Kenworthy's site ( http://www.karenware.com/ ) was working fine when I sent out the last newsletter, but Karen's server died under the onslaught of so many accesses from LangaList readers. (She's also been the target of malicious hackers; why, I have no clue.) But as of today, Karenware's back. Check it out--- although maybe you'll want to wait a bit before clicking to avoid creating a repeat stampede. 8-)

Your other favorite ex-WinMag writers and editors also have sites and/or newsletters running. Check 'em out:

Mike Elgan  ( http://www.elgan.com/ )
Publication: Mike's List ( http://www.mikeslist.com/ )

Scot Fnnie ( http://www.scotfinnie.com/ )
Publication: Scot Finnie's Newsletter ( http://www.scotfinnie.com/newsletter/default.htm )

Jason Levine ( http://www.jasons-toolbox.com/ )
Publication: Jason's Toolbox Update ( http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jasons-toolbox/ )

Dave Methvin ( http://www.methvin.com/ )
Publication: PCPitstop.com Newsletter  ( http://www.pcpitstop.com/newsletter.asp )
Other website: PCPitstop.com

John Woram ( http://www.woram.com/ )
Publication: Just Another Newsletter ( http://www.woram.com/LETTER/INDEX.HTM )

Dan Rosenbaum ( http://www.danrosenbaum.com/ )
Publication: Over The Edge ( http://www.danrosenbaum.com/subscribe.htm )

Ed Bott ( http://www.bott.com/ )
Publication: Focus on Windows ( http://windows.about.com/compute/windows/mbody.htm )

Serdar Yegulalp ( http://www.thegline.com/ )
Publication: Windows 2000 Power Users ( http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Win2KPowerUsers )

(Jim Powell's site and newsletter--- on MS Office--- coming soon!)

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4) QCheck Your Network For Free

Reader Lanny Marcus recommends this "free network-test software:"

Free network-test software: Moving a big step beyond Ping - the standard connectivity test for transmission control protocol (TCP) networks - Qcheck from Ganymede Software Inc. provides a more realistic assessment of network performance. That's because it sends real application flows, not just Internet control message protocol (ICMP) messages, across the network. Another big plus is that it can be downloaded free of charge from the World Wide Web site at http://www.qcheck.net

Thanks for the pointer, Lanny!

5) Last Day To Enter May's FREE Drawing

Late today (May 31), I'll choose another monthly winner of a no-strings $30 Gift Certificate for any item at Amazon.Com--- books, software, hardware, kitchenware, toys... To have a shot at winning, just use the following link to recommend the LangaList to a friend. Your friend just may find a new source of useful information; I just may gain a new subscriber; and you just may win a $30 shopping spree! (Full details also available via this link): http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm

The more times you make a recommendation, the greater your chances are of winning!

Or, if you'd like to try to win $10,000(!), try this link (full details also available here):
http://www.recommend-it.com/l.z.e?s=143182

Either way, thank you, and good luck!

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6) HyperTerminal Security Problem

As Yogi Berra said, "It's deja vu all over again." This time, it's the return of a "Buffer Overflow Vulnerability" in Hyperterminal, the telecom app that ships as part of Windows 98, 98SE, Windows ME, Windows NT 4.0, and Windows 2000.

In other words, if you have Windows, odds are you have this problem---  two unchecked buffers---  through which "an attacker could potentially cause code of her choice to run on another user's machine."

More info and a fix: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS00-079.asp.

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7) More Reader Sites!

Do you have a home page or website? (It doesn't matter what size.) Please click over to http://www.langa.com/code.htm , and maybe you can join the hundreds and hundreds of LangaList readers who have "Loaded the Code!" (If you've already "Loaded The Code" and are wondering if your site will appear here or on the Langa.Com web site, please see http://www.langa.com/link.txt )

Speaking of which: Here's another eclectic sample of reader sites--- some professional, some very personal:

View A Randomly-Chosen Reader Site From Among All Listed
http://www.langa.com/randomlink.htm

Manually Browse All Posted-to-Date Sites Starting At
http://www.langa.com/readersites.htm

CWS Designworks
http://www.cwsdesignworks.com/

A Guide to Assist you in the Arab Culture
http://www.eldardiri.com/

Osceola Assembly of God
http://www.iowatelecom.net/~pcdevos/index.html

HIGHBRIDGE: "Da Bronx"
http://www.geocities.com/publius228/

A Home Improvement Nightmare
http://www.geocities.com/l_pope/intro.html

Dreamer's Reality
http://www.dreamersreality.com/

William Sternman, writer
http://www.angelfire.com/pa/jason888/resume.html

Welcome To Telecom - Connect
http://www.telecom-connect.com/

Automotive Cooling
http://www.imcool.com/

HOFFMAN E-CRIB
http://ourworld-top.cs.com/hoffman7476/index.htm

Danny deManigold Reproductions
http://www.geocities.com/ddrfurniture/

Custom PCs and More
http://home.earthlink.net/~wjwheels/index.html

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8) Another Free Renamer

In "Rename Many Files (e.g. MP3s) All At Once" ( http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2001/2001-05-10.htm#4 ) we discussed a tool for mass-renaming many files.

Reader Geoff Hitchcock knows another:

I have used a file called Rname-it for some time now and find it excellent. http://www.freewarenet.com/downloads/genutils/rnameit.html
This program can change prefix or extension, change from all upper or lower case and vice versa, can insert strings at any location in the filename, and can replace any string with another within the name.
I... think it's great and at V 3.1.1. it was still freeware.

Thanks, Geoff!

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9) Drowning In CDs? (Plus: Freeware)

John L. Salisbury asks:

I've taken to heart your many warnings to back up my hard drive. I even went out and bought Drive Image 4.0 because of you. But I find myself wondering, What does Fred do with all his old compact disks? Does he get rid of them after they're more than a year old? Does he keep them forever? Maybe he's paving his sidewalks with them? I'm looking for an economical way to store a lot of old CDs.  I'd been putting them in CD holders, but that's getting expensive and they just take up more room.

(And if you're interested in my Win9x programs, you'll find them on zdnet.com's site. FileSprite -- a file manager is at
http://www.zdnet.com/downloads/stories/info/0,,000XFP,.html
Calling Cards -- a name and address manager is at
http://www.zdnet.com/downloads/stories/info/0,,00182W,.html )

Thanks, John.

CD  "jewel" cases are great for often-used CDs: The case takes the wear and tear, instead of the CD. But they're overkill for backup CDs, which are rarely used. They also are very bulky in quantity, and they cost about as much as a blank CD--- 30 cents or so--- and thus double your storage costs.

One alternative is plain paper sleeves with a plastic window (so you can see the label on the CD inside). These cost less than a penny apiece, and add little bulk to a stored CD.

But I don't even use that: I use an empty "spindle" (the same spindle that bulk quantities of blank CDs come on) and store my backup CDs that way. When the spindle is full, I replace the spindle cover, write the dates spanned by the CDs within, and store the now-full spindle in a safe place, away from my office.

If you need an empty spindle to get started, you can get one for about $3 for the 50-CD size. Then, simply buy your future blank CDs by the spindle, and you'll always have ready-made storage for your backups!

You can get blank CDs, sleeves, cases and empty spindles from a variety of sources, but I generally use CyberGuys. They're also a LangaList sponsor <g>: http://www.langa.com/sponsors/cyberguys.htm .

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10) Just For Grins

For context, please see Item #1 in this week's issue.

Here, from a variety of sources, a meta-debunking of all hoax emails:

1. Big companies don't do business via chain letters and there are no computer programs that track how many times an e-mail is forwarded, let alone by whom. Bill Gates is not giving you $1000, Disney is not giving you a free vacation, and Nokia is not giving away free cell phones to those who email the most messages. There also is no baby food company issuing class action checks to emailers.

2. Proctor and Gamble is not part of a satanic cult or scheme, and its logo is not satanic.

3. MTV will not give you backstage passes if you forward something to the most people.

4. The Gap is not giving away free clothes. You can relax; there is no need to pass it on "just in case it's true."

5. There is no kidney theft ring in New Orleans. No one is waking up in a bathtub full of ice, even if a friend of a friend swears it happened to their cousin. If you are hell bent on believing the kidney theft ring stories, see http://urbanlegends.tqn.com/library/weekly/aa062997.htm  And I quote "The National Kidney Foundation has repeatedly issued requests for actual victims of organ thieves to come forward and tell their stories." None have. That's "none" as in "zero." Not even your friend's cousin.

6. Neiman Marcus doesn't really sell a $200 cookie recipe. And even if they do, we all have it. And even if you don't, you can get a copy at http://www.bl.net/forwards/cookie.html Then, if you make the recipe, decide the cookies are that awesome, feel free to pass the recipe on.

7. If the latest NASA rocket disaster(s) DID contain plutonium that spread radioactive particulates over the eastern seaboard, do you REALLY think this information would reach the public via an AOL chain letter?

8. There is no "Good Times" or "It Takes Guts To Say Jesus" or any number of other similar supposed viruses. In fact, you should never, ever, ever forward any email containing any virus warning unless you first confirm it at an actual site of an actual company that actually deals with actual viruses. AOL, for example, is not in the antivirus business. (Some would say AOL itself is a virus, but that's another story.) The fact that someone says "AOL confirmed the existence of this virus!" is meaningless. Try http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/index.html  And even if the virus IS real, don't forward the warning. We don't care; we keep our antivirus scanner up to date, and know better than to open unknown file attachments.

9. There is no gang initiation plot to murder any motorist who flashes headlights at another car driving at night with out lights.

10. If you still absolutely MUST forward that 10th-generation message from a friend, at least have the decency to trim the eight miles of headers showing everyone else who's received it over the last 6 months. It sure wouldn't hurt to get rid of all the ".." that begin each line either. Besides, if it has gone around that many times we've probably already seen it.

11. Craig Shergold (or Sherwood, or Sherman, etc.) in England is not dying of cancer or anything else at this time and would like everyone to stop sending him their business cards. He apparently is no longer a "little boy" either.

12. The "Make a Wish" foundation is a real organization doing fine work, but they have had to establish a special toll free hot line in response to the large number of Internet hoaxes using their good name and reputation. It is distracting them from the important work they do. Also, the American Cancer Society does not give 3 cents for each person you forward e-mail to. They ask for you to *donate* money, they don't *give* it; and, besides, how could they know how many e-mails you sent out? Sheesh.

13. If you are one of those insufferable idiots who forwards anything that promises something bad will happen "if you don't forward it" to X people or within X timeframe, then something bad *will* happen to *you* if I ever meet you in a dark alley.

14. Women really are suffering in Afghanistan, but forwarding an e-mail won't help their cause in the least. If you want to help, contact your local legislative representative, or get in touch with Amnesty International or the Red Cross.

15. As a general rule, e-mail "signatures" and "From:" lines are easily faked and mean nothing.

16. KFC really does use real chickens with feathers and beaks and feet and everything. No, they really do. Why did they change their name? In this health conscious world, what was KFC's name? Kentucky FRIED Chicken. FRIED is not healthy. So with the help of a focus group, they changed the name to KFC. It's short, doesn't offend dieters and it's easy to remember.

17. Another thing, just because someone said in a message, four generations back, that "we checked it out and it's legit," or "we know a lawyer who says it must be true or [Disney/Nokia/AOL/Microsoft/etc.] will be sued!" does not actually make it true.

PS There is no bill pending before Congress that will allow the Post Office to charge you for sending email.

Bottom Line...

Composing e-mail or posting something on the Net is as easy as writing on the walls of a public rest room, and about as like a source of truth. Don't automatically believe anything...ASSUME it's false, unless there is real proof (and not just someone's unverified claim) that it's true.

Now copy, paste, and send this to everyone you know or the program this message just covertly put on your hard drive will open up your CD-ROM tray and reach out and slap you upside the head.

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11) More On Free Hard-Drive Cloning Tools; Easy Links To The Online Win95 Resource Kit; FREE, Bloat-Avoiding Excel-To-HTML Tool

Today's LangaList Plus! Edition contains all items in this issue (except the ads), plus about 30% more content including: Reader feedback and additional suggestions on free ways to clone a hard drive; point-and-click, chapter-by-chapter access to an online version of the Win95 Resource Kit (to complement the Win98 ResKit given last issue); and a FREE, Bloat-Avoiding Excel-To-HTML Tool that produces smaller web pages than Excel's built-in conversion.

Plus! Edition info: http://www.langa.com/plus.htm 

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See you next issue!

Best,

Fred
(fred@langa.com)

Please recommend the LangaList to a friend! (And maybe win $10,000!I)

An easier-to read formatted HTML version is available in the "Current Issue" section of http://www.langa.com.  (The HTML version of each issue normally is available by 9AM EST [UT-5] of the issue date.) All past LangaList issues are also available at the Langa.Com site.

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