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A virus for every situation
AOL Time Warner internal virus
(old news - 02:24PM Tuesday Apr 06 2004)
tags: security
According to a source at Time Warner, a disgruntled employee has injected a virus into their internal network that tells staff they are due for a 26.75% bonus on their work. The virus encourages employees to "submit an application" for the raise, by "turning in the attachment". The virus email ends by thanking the employee for all their hard work.

From: TWBenefitHR@aol.com [mailto:TWBenefitHR@aol.com]
Sent: Sunday, April 04, 2004 xxxxxx
To: undisclosed-recipients
Subject: AOLTW Bonuses and Wages Letter

Payroll Changes for April 2004

Brought to you by HRDirect! (hr.office.aol.com)

A number of employees are receiving this E-mail today in regards to their
current payroll status.

As of today we are sending this letter out to inform each and every one of
you that we have agreed that you need a bigger paycheck! Due to the time
that you have been working with the company and your work, we have audited
and reviewed your status and are offering up to a 26.75% bonus on your
paychecks to come.

In conjunction with our notice, we have also attatched the application that
will need to be turned in via E-mail to obtain your payroll changes.

Please be aware that your application MUST be sent in befoe April 6th, 2004
in order for you to be eligable for this change. If you have any questions,
email us back at Payroll.Questions@hr.office.aol.com.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Thanks for your hard work and cooperation!

AOL Human Resources Department
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

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Forums » A virus for every situation
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Post a:

TheSaint

join:2002-01-25
Atascadero, CA
clubs:

So this means they'll have less money to spend on

THOSE ANNOYING CD'S! DIE CD'S, DIE!

TheGiant
Next Year Is Here.

join:2001-03-28
Knoxville, TN

So what was in the application?

I wonder what kind of personal info it asked for? Employee Number? SS#? Direct deposit information? You could get quite a few people ending up with Identity theft over this.
I bet he wrote this at work and it will only be a matter of time before the culprit is found. Unless it Auto spammed itself I don't see how this could be considered a virus. Sounds more like a simple e-mail to me.
--
Maddox has come Home!
dannysdailys

join:2000-09-29
Lockport, NY

Re: So this means they'll have less money to spend on

I'm curious, when was the last time you got one?

IGGY
No Guru Just Here To Help
Premium,MVM
join:2001-03-30
Chatham, IL

Re: So this means they'll have less money to spend on

said by dannysdailys See Profile:
I'm curious, when was the last time you got one?

Just in the past few months actually. The morons ( AOL along with EarthLink ) still haven't figured out I've been using cable broadband for 3 or 4 years now. Would you like a picture as proof?

With that said. The topic of AOL spamming CDs really had nothing to do with the topic at hand. Funny how AOL is so against online spammers. But they sure use direct ( unsolicited ) direct mailings to promote there product.
--
Test Your Security Team Z Member Cable Modem Diagnostics InsightBB waiting for new tiers

rstrandb
Premium
join:2003-04-17
Albany, GA
·AT&T Southeast

said by dannysdailys See Profile:
I'm curious, when was the last time you got one?

Saturday in the mail.
--
What....me worry?

jhboricua
ExMod 2000-01
join:2000-06-06
Minneapolis, MN
clubs:

OMG that is truly priceless...

This guy better be on his way to some foreign country.

dadkins
Go For It
Premium,MVM
join:2003-09-26
Hercules, CA

Hmmm

I wonder what AOL did to make this employee "disgruntled"...

Jafo232
You Can't Spell Democrat Without Rat.
Premium
join:2002-10-17
Boonville, NY

Re: Hmmm

said by dadkins See Profile:
I wonder what AOL did to make this employee "disgruntled"...

Perhaps they demanded that he learn how to spell?
--
nos insuadibilis defessus, nos insuadibilis inclino, nos insuadibilis concido.

Varangian

join:2002-12-08
Collinsville, IL
Outsourced their job?
Insulted their ability?
Installed AOl on their PC?

BarneyBadAss

They Hired them.. guess what words "The Donald" uses at the end of his show.. think this person will hear that trademarked phrase? Hmmmm.... makes you wonder
damox
Premium
join:2002-01-07
Olympia, WA
LMAO, that's funny! There's a comedian in every bunch! :D:D

CrazyFingers

join:2003-10-01
Columbia, MO

So easy to hoax, no wonder they're #1

Hmm...lets see...I'm trying to find the appropriate response to this story. The only one I can come up with that truly fits is:

BWAAAAHAHAHAHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHHA!...

Oh, god, I think I need new underwear...HEHEHEHEHEHEHHE..
dannysdailys

join:2000-09-29
Lockport, NY

Re: So easy to hoax, no wonder they're #1

So easy to hoax, no wonder they're #1

Why yes, so is Pay Pal, E-bay, Earthlink and MSN. I guess that pretty much includes everyone...
--
Madness Takes Its Toll, Please Have Exact ChangeDan DailyOwner/Webmasterhttp://www.dannysdailys.com

JohnInSJ
Premium
join:2003-09-22
San Jose, CA
·SONIC.NET

clues....

quote:
As of today we are sending this letter out to inform each and every one of
you that we have agreed that you need a bigger paycheck!
See, that was the first clue this was a virus-email

Second, where the heck was their mailserver-based email attachment virus scanning software?

I'm thinking the local IT guys/gals will quickly become the next disgruntled (ex?) employees...

KoolMoe
Aw Man
Premium
join:2001-02-14
Annapolis, MD
clubs:

Re: clues....

Virus scans only work if they have a definition for a given virus file. If this employee created this virus, then there likely exists no definition for it, thus scanners are rather useless.
KM

jdmurray
Premium
join:2001-03-02
Huntington Beach, CA
clubs:

Re: clues....

That's correct. This is a great example of a zero-day virus. Virii scanners are only one line of defense and should not be the only line of defense.

But in this case the only thing that would have worked to stop this virus early would have been user education.

Varangian

join:2002-12-08
Collinsville, IL

nasteh

I can't believe this was unprovoked.
Maybe they pushed the suit's Vote yourself into wage slavery- er re-elect Bush - campaign too hard

Marilla
I Am My Own Arbiter
Premium
join:2002-12-06
Belpre, OH

Re: nasteh

Someone needs to come along to the 21st century with the rest of us...

Varangian

join:2002-12-08
Collinsville, IL
hehe
got my BetaMax, Quadrophonic Stero and Creep receipts at hand!

2kmaro
Think
Premium,ExMod 1 BC
join:2000-07-11
ColossalCave
clubs:

Lesson 2B Learned

The most dangerous employee in today's business world may well be that little, often-overlooked, underpaid and overworked guy with all the passwords to all the accounts, servers and direct access to the mail server!!
said by Scene at IT shop:

I'm fired? Oh well, guess it was just a matter of time... Just let me finish up what I was doing...
types furiously: Delete *.*[enter]
Ok, all done. Oh, and did you get my memo about possibly wanting to move off of Windows systems?

--
Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment. Barry LePatner
vic102482
Premium
join:2002-04-30
Upper Marlboro, MD
·Verizon FIOS


edit:
April 6th, @03:00PM

Re: Lesson 2B Learned

Thats true. Where I worked the Admin password was changed 9AM in the morning while someone was being fired, and again at 4PM after they were gone.

They had a book of all the places to change the passwords and stuff. After the blaster worm came out we were changing for like 5 days straight lol.

Dont keep your systems updated, dont keep your paychecks.
--
I tie a rope around my penis and jump from a tree, don't you wanna grow up to be just like me!!!!

LaserjetXX

join:2004-03-13
Waterford, MI

I like the CD's

You just have to take what they say on the AOL CD's more literally. They say to pass them onto a friend so I frisbee them on over into my neighbors yard across the street. He mows his lawn excessively so it's really fun to watch.

Varangian

join:2002-12-08
Collinsville, IL

Re: I like the CD's

I like the fish sculpture in the AOL advertisement
vic102482
Premium
join:2002-04-30
Upper Marlboro, MD

Hahahah

Oh man thats good.:P He is in big trouble though, like a previous poster said, he better have plane tickets.
--
I tie a rope around my penis and jump from a tree, don't you wanna grow up to be just like me!!!!

netwire
Premium
join:2001-04-27
Mooresboro, NC
·RoadRunner Cable
·Millenicom
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·Vonage
·WildBlue

OM....

Anyone employee who was stupid enough to believe such storie... my god... deserves to be fired. I mean, c'mon if I got a letter like this from my boss I'd think he lost his marbles.
--
[url=http://www.metaversemedia.com/blogger.php]Read my blog...... hey!? your still here?[/url]

ResidentParanoid




from:
dadkins See Profile
kapil See Profile

Yet another example of lax security.

Great timing...

Just doing some channel surfing on the central FL BrightHouse cable, and hit the channel guide. Except it wasn't the channel guide, it was the computer they use to generate it, with a porn spam IM sitting on the screen.

Called the customer-no-service line and explained that they had a problem with the non-digital channel guide, and that they might want to do something about it.

She told me to reboot my smartbox to fix it. I DON'T HAVE A #%$& SMARTBOX ON THIS THING! Then she wanted my account number or address so they could see if it was a problem with my equipment or neighborhood. I patiently explained to her that the problem wasn't on my end, and asked if she had a non-digital TV she could see from her desk. She said yes. Told her to put it on channel 49 (the guide). "Oh!" she said, "I'll be right back"

And then the mouse on the screen started jumping all over the place as somebody tried to fix it. Turns out that there were several more of the IM's waiting behind the front one. After a few moments of clicking to close them, they apparently rebooted the box.

The real question here is why the heck do they have a box like that sitting directly on the internet? And why is the messenger service running on it anyway?

technick
Premium
join:2000-12-16
Loganville, GA

Re: Yet another example of lax security.

OMG, now this should be in a thread all by itself. I got my daily laugh at this one, even more than the aol email virus. What a total freaking idiot, I swear.

It's ashamed you didn't record it and put it up here, that would have been great.

ResidentParanoid



Re: Yet another example of lax security.

Click for full size
All I managed to get was a grainy screencap:

bokamba
Chengdu Rocks
Premium
join:2002-04-05
Falls Church, VA
That's hilarious. Thanks for sharing!
aeagle

join:2004-03-03
Schenectady, NY

edit:
April 6th, @03:56PM

April Fools came too late -

Somebody need to tell that worker that today is not a April Fools Day

jwardl

join:2000-08-12
Spring, TX

Re: April Foolc came too late -

Why is it that the people who come up with these hoax emails CAN NEVER SPELL???

Brazbit
Randomness Personified
Premium
join:2003-10-22
Port Orchard, WA

Really....

Link? Source? Some sort of proof? Sounds plausible but I find nothing, at this time, anywhere else about this.
rockjock

join:2003-10-14
Salt Lake City, UT

Was it really a virus?

The question remains: was it really a virus? Unless I missed it, I didn't see anyplace in the article that mentioned the damage caused to the network.

Or was it merely a mischievously-crafted email with the propensity to propagate a massive influx of email to the HR department? (i.e. spam)

Although it's better to be safe than sorry, IMHO the term 'virus' is used way too loosely these days.

jap
Premium
join:2003-08-10
038xx
·Verizon Online DSL


edit:
April 6th, @05:03PM

Re: Was it really a virus?

A virus doesn't have to do host-damage to be considered a virus - not in biological viruses or comp. The virus tag only indicates that it spreads by opportunistic propagation, is indiscriminate in propagation, cannot "survive" (be active) individually outside of a host, and cannot collectively expand in population without a constant reservoir of hosts.
rockjock

join:2003-10-14
Salt Lake City, UT

Re: Was it really a virus?

A key characteristic of a virus - both biological and computer - is the ability to self-replicate. Even if its intent isn't malicious, the self-replicating process of a computer virus consumes bandwidth on a network and system resources on a stand-alone computer. The unnecessary consumption of these resources is the best-case scenario when a virus infects a network.

See »www.google.com/search?q=define:virus for more

This case described at AOL, if true, is just someone sending a mass-email (i.e. spam). At best it could be described as a virus hoax, but an actual virus? Please. The way it is reported as a virus contributes to the virus-hysteria that prevails among society today and is, frankly, irresponsible.

jap
Premium
join:2003-08-10
038xx
·Verizon Online DSL

Re: Was it really a virus?

said by rockjock See Profile:
This case described at AOL, if true, is just someone sending a mass-email (i.e. spam). At best it could be described as a virus hoax, but an actual virus? Please. The way it is reported as a virus contributes to the virus-hysteria that prevails among society today and is, frankly, irresponsible.
You obviously have way more information than the small, unsigned article that begins this thread. It contains no "case description", states that the msg was indeed spread by viral infection, and says nothing about a broadcast message.

You may be correct that the above is completely bogus in it's use of the word "virus", but there's no indication of it here. I simply responded to your original suggestion that because this jokish letter did no damage that it couldn't BE a virus.

2kmaro
Think
Premium,ExMod 1 BC
join:2000-07-11
ColossalCave
clubs:

said by rockjock See Profile:
The question remains: was it really a virus? Unless I missed it, I didn't see anyplace in the article that mentioned the damage caused to the network.
It it manages to spread it's a virus. In this case, it would appear to be a variant of the Redneck.Deliver.ByHand@AOLUser virus:

This email contains a virus - please send it to all your friends.
--
Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment. Barry LePatner

jap
Premium
join:2003-08-10
038xx
·Verizon Online DSL

Re: Was it really a virus?

said by 2kmaro See Profile:
said by rockjock See Profile:
it would appear to be a variant of the Redneck.Deliver.ByHand@AOLUser virus

\\grin!// ..... I like that
farmerscott

join:2004-03-11
Ozark, MO

They can call tech support in INDIA

Hey maybe they will have to call tech support in INDIA or somewhere you cannot understand them..... I hope they get put on hold for days!..............what goes around comes around!......

Who would believe such a message anyway?

Not me..............
Scott

»www.realbeef.com

real american

@rr.com

you know, the next time I get someone from INDIA..

...I think I'll tell the rep that if I wanted to talk to someone from India, I'd go to the nearest convenience store.

Maybe I'll just blow a police whistle into the phone.

Maybe I'll thank the rep for stealing a job from a hard-working American.

Or maybe I'll just utter "get lost, RAGHEAD!!!!"

rstrandb
Premium
join:2003-04-17
Albany, GA
·AT&T Southeast

Re: you know, the next time I get someone from INDIA..

You know, you should complain to the Management of the company, not the poor guy trying to eak out a living for his family. Overseas Tech Support does suck, but don't blame the person that took a job offered to him.
--
What....me worry?

The_Wicker_Man

@80.43.x.x

umm err

Everyons blasting about this and quite rightly but, do we even know if this story is actually true?.....

cyrus369

join:2002-09-16
usa
clubs:

what!

so you mean I dont get that raise after all?
aeagle

join:2004-03-03
Schenectady, NY

Re: what!

so u saying that its another april fools joke

Theo25

@attbi.com

April Fools?

I've seen so many April Fools jokes as news releases, I wonder if its really true. Either way, its kinda funny.
kcjames1138

join:2003-04-25
Olathe, KS

Re: April Fools?

It is most definitely not an April fools joke. And you wouldn't expect to read it in the news, as companies aren't apt to telling the world they have lax security measures in place.

Take Best Buy, last year they released a story they were changing the design of their web sites. Which just so happened to coincide with thousands of unauthorized credit card transactions that were reversed a few days later, with out notifying anyone that their website and database had apparently been hacked. Instead they billed it as a website design change to make it easier to use, blah blah blah... I believe they were only offline for a week. If it was always just a website redesign, that's some horrible planning to take your live site offline for a week while you put a new one on. Talk about millions in lost revenue.

Anyway, companies tend to not like hanging their dirty laundry out to dry for the world to see.
Forums » A virus for every situation


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