WINPROXY didn't stop KLEZ! was Re: [Towertalk] Klez

WA9ALS - John wa9als@starband.net
Wed, 8 May 2002 05:47:16 -0500


> It does not mess around with virus content. It is removed and replaced
> with a note. It will also send an email to a specified address
> indicating the action, which I have enabled.

I have no idea what all the KLEZ posts have to do with towers, but I have to
comment on WINPROXY due to recent reassuring messages!  SRI off topic Steve,
but you have allowed the virus posts so far, and I thought it important to
point out that I got stung even with the WinPRoxy prouct!  THANKS!

Normally I would've been the first to jump in and cite the merits of
WinProxy and it's AV capabilities.  Like Guy, I normally have both it and
Norton on my machine.  However, I had uninstalled NAV for another reason and
had been relying on just the WinProxy.  In fact, I even got a message that
it had stopped a KLEZ virus bound for my XYL's laptop on our network.  Cool,
I thought...

However, one or more of the KLEZ variants can drop another one called
W32.ELKERN.4926, and this one got past WinProxy.  It did huge damage to my
system, basically wiping out the .exe files on the machine.  Although it got
to 2 other machines on our home network, the damage was much more minor and
those machines were completely restored by the Symantec KLEZ Cleanup Tool.
However, my machine required a reinstall/repair of WIN2000 and reinstall of
multiple applications.

WinProxy is a great prouct, but I would strongly advise using NAV IN
ADDITION!  WinProxy is particularly attractive for a network because it
protects the whole network for one reasonable price, but if it oesn't work,
what have you saved?

To the StarBand users - With the recommended configuration of the 360 modem
using 2 NIC's in the main PC, I recently was happy to discover that
the -one- NAV program on the main PC is now covering the whole network!  Any
email coming or going through this PC lights up the NAV icon saying that it
is checking for viruses, and it has already stopped several copies of KLEZ
from going to other computers in the house.  So, IN ADDITION to WinProxy,
one copy of NAV for the main PC would be a great investment!

73 - John