VX Heavens

This paper will examine the prevalence, technical structure and impact of non-viral malicious code ("Trojan horses") on the Internet, and its relevance to the corporate and home user. Using user simulations and first-hand reports provided by real users, we will explore the Trojan experience, focusing on the type and scope of actual Trojan threats encountered on the Internet today. We will discuss the status of hostile active content, including Java and ActiveX, on the Internet, and examine its impact in the real world. We will present strategies for minimizing the risk of damage from Trojan horses on the Internet. Finally, we will discuss how simply extending anti-virus software into "bolt-on" detectors of known hostile code is no substitute for ensuring that your systems are secure against all attacks, known or unknown.

Virus hoaxes and virus hypes are new and growing problems in the corporate environment, where the spread of such rumors can cause as much disruption as actual virus outbreaks. We review a number of recent examples of hoax and hype, and show that hoaxes that become widespread have certain characteristics that promote their spread. Using these characteristics, it is possible to create a set of rules which will help to distinguish fabrication from fact. Similarly, virus hype, often generated by the anti-virus industry or well-meaning members of the media, portrays real but insignificant viruses as doomsday threats. We show how such hype is almost always wrong. Finally, we discuss corporate policies that have been proven to minimize the disruption of hoaxes and hype, and give corporate anti-virus administrators a wealth of information resources to which they can turn as new hoaxes and hype come to light.

Write your mails, send'em via proxies, trust m$, feel safe... Here comes the analysis of the OUTLOOK's algorithm of "Message-ID" and "boundary" fields generation. Are you scared? ;)