Instant Messenger Worm

I almost got infected by a Instant Messenger Worm today.

This evening I signed into Yahoo Messenger.
A few moments later, a good friend of mine logged in and sent me this seemingly harmless link, but before I could respond/click, this person logged out !

In and out in less than 30 seconds ? That's not like them...

I felt odd... so, I looked at the message/link carefully.

The accompanying message told me that it would lead to screenshots of a popular operating system. This message seemed ok to me as this friend of mine knows that I like computers :)

Looking at the link.. something did not feel right. Remembering the set of IM worms that have been around, I decided to try to search the web for some information. But what do I search for ?
The message text was too generic.. so, I decided to Google the name of the site that apparently the link pointed to...

and was I lucky...

This was an attempted infection by WORM_SOHANAD.AL.

A Win32 "Memory Resident Worm" , this worm attacks and propagates through Instant Messenging applications - specifically Yahoo Messenger and Windows Live Messenger/ Windows Messenger.

The said message contains a link to a remote copy of itself. When the recipient clicks the link, the copy is executed on the recipient's system.

The message it sends out has the following details:

-------Message: (any of the following)------------from trendmicro.com----

• :D who is beside you in this pic http://{BLOCKED}icknews.info/friendpic1.jpg so good-looking hot pics this week http://quicknews.info/hot.jpg :x
• ;) 1 of my vacation pictures http://{BLOCKED}icknews.info/vacation1.jpg <:-P
• ;) 1 of my vacation pictures http://{BLOCKED}icknews.info/vacation2.jpg <:-P
• Screenshot of new windows version _ Windows Vista http://{BLOCKED}icknews.info/vista.jpg so cool :D
• Images shot in Iraq _ The war will never end http://{BLOCKED}icknews.info/Iraqwar.jpg << :( • oh my god , i've won a 20000 usd lottery :O http://{BLOCKED}icknews.info/mylottery.jpg <<
• never click into the links like something in this image http://{BLOCKED}icknews.info/dontclick.jpg #:-S !!!
• :( the page cannot be displayed http://{BLOCKED}icknews.info/error.jpg Something was wrong !!!
• :( the page cannot be displayed http://{BLOCKED}icknews.info/error.jpg Something was wrong !!! Check it again and tell me later. THanks
• Do you realize who is in this image: http://{BLOCKED}icknews.info/who.jpg . Just think for a moment and tell me soon ;))

---------end messages-------------

This worm also replaces the status of the affected user with any of the abovementioned messages. For more indepth look at this worm, visit http://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/virusencyclo/default5.asp?VName=WORM%5FSOHANAD%2EAL&VSect=T

So that explained it. Looks my friend's got this worm on their machine :(
I've sent them an email informing them of this.

Hope they fix it.
Luckily I escaped.
Moral of all this : "read before you click".

What can the wind do ?

What can the wind do ?
Ans: It can break window panes !

So here we are (me and my roommates) all doing our own work, when we hear this really loud smash followed by the sound of breaking flass. We investigate to find the area next to our front door splattered with broken glass...

What does this have to do with wind ?

We had a small thunderstorm tonight. All the sound and light effects and some really strong wind. So, a really strong gust of wind picked up a plastic chair from the corridor in front of the front door and hurled it at the window pane next to the door. Net result = a smashed pane of glass and our living room gets a shower of glass. Luckily no one was sitting on the couch right next to the window.

(See the picture of the smashed pane)

Books worth reading - Part 1

I've recently read two books which were really good in their content.
---------------------
1. Beyond Fear - Bruce Schneier - (Non-Fiction)

This books talks about how to think about security in the modern day world. Why you should not believe that it is possible for something to be completely safe or completely foolproof. He presents a five step approach to evaluating security and uses it in numerous examples in all sorts of situations. Completely written for the common man without any kind of jargon, this is definitely a great book.

Publication Details:

Author Bruce Schneier
Country United States
Language English
Publisher Copernicus Books
Released Sep 2003
Media type Print (Hardcover)
Pages 266 p.
ISBN 0-387-02620-7

http://www.schneier.com/book-beyondfear.html

---------------------
2. "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious
Character " - Richard Feynman - (Non-Fiction)

This book is an edited collection of reminiscences by Richard Feynman, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist. The book covers his life history and is almost an autobiography. Starting from his childhood days on how he got interested in Science to his involvement in the WW-II projects with the US Army and his winning of the Nobel Prize, Dr Feynman presents an interesting insight into his experiences. This book brings about a unique perspective into the life of an Nobel Prize-winning physicist. Very refreshing book to read.

Publication Data:

Author Richard Feynman
Country United States
Language English
Genre(s) Autobiography, Biography, Non-fiction
Publisher W.W. Norton (USA)
Released 1985 (USA)
Media type Print (Hardcover & Paperback) also Audio book
Pages 350 p. (US hardcover edition)
322 p. (US paperback edition)
ISBN 0-393-01921-7 (US hardcover edition)

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Surely_You%27re_Joking%2C_Mr._Feynman%21&oldid=107077189
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I will post more "Books worth reading" as I come across books that I
find unique/interesting