“Antivirus software companies began warning e-mail users this week that the persistent Bagle virus has re-emerged in a new version, Bagle.AF or Beagle.AB,” Laura Rohde reports for IDG News Service. “Trend Micro, based in Tokyo, rated the risk from the Bagel variant as “medium,” though it says the damage and distribution potentials of the virus are high… McAfee, in Santa Clara, California, raised its risk assessment to “medium-on-watch” and warned it had the potential of being upgraded to a high-risk threat.”
The Bagle virus and its variants affect computers running Microsoft Windows. Macintosh computers are unaffected.
MacDailyNews Take: For information on smoothly adding a Mac OS X machine to your computing arsenal, please click here.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Defending Windows over Mac a sign of mental illness – December 20, 2003
Is Mac OS X really inherently more secure than Windows? – August 26, 2003
BusinessWeek’s Haddad gets it wrong; thinks low market share spares Macs from viruses – August 28, 2003
Shattering the Mac OS X ‘security through obscurity’ myth – August 28, 2003
Fortune columnist: ‘get a Mac’ to thwart viruses; right answer for the wrong reasons – September 02, 2003
New York Times: Mac OS X ‘much more secure than Windows XP’ – September 18, 2003
Columnist tries the ‘security through obscurity’ myth to defend Windows vs. Macs on virus front – October 1, 2003
Gates: Windows ‘by far the most secure’ system; tries to use ‘Mac OS X secure through obscurity’ myth – January 27, 2004
Mac OS X has no viruses; what’s wrong with Windows? – February 11, 2004
Spyware, adware plague Windows users online; Mac OS X users surf freely – April 19, 2004
Gartner: Worms jack up the total cost of Microsoft Windows – May 07, 2004
Apple exec: Mac OS X is ‘more secure than other platforms, certainly more secure than Microsoft Windows’ – June 14, 2004
Microsoft developing own antivirus software for leaky Windows – June 16, 2004
What’s the point of Anti-Virus for already-virus-free Mac OS X? – June 24, 2004
not another…
Here’s a story that will make you happy…my Mom just bought my sister an eMachine against my recommendation of getting her an eMac. We talked prices, blah blah…and my Mom wasn’t going to spend more than $500 on a computer. So I found a decent Windows based eMachine at BestBuy and my Mom got it for her. This was less than a month ago.
Because some ‘virus’ or something got into the computer, she couldn’t even get on the Internet to validate her free three month anti-virus software to run a check on the system. She couldn’t log onto the Internet, her screen saver wouldn’t work for anything, and her icons were missing from the desktop. I’m trying to troubleshoot over the phone with no luck. So guess what had to happen? She had to reload the software IN LESS THAN A MONTH OF HAVING THAT POS COMPUTER! I’m going to be calling my Mom tomorrow about this one and explain YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR! The funniest part is that she accused me of sending her an email with a virus on it. I was like, MACS DON’T GET VIRUSES!!!!
Tell that to your Windoze buddies. Maybe I can convince my Mom to take it back. Oh wait…the eMacs are out of stock. Damn.
The name of the file attached to the message, which actually contains the worm’s code, consists of a series of random characters, but always has an .EXE extension. This file is 15,872 bytes in size.
The aim of Bagle.A is to spread rapidly by creating copies of itself, which could cause computer networks to collapse. However, this worm does not have any other destructive effects.
LiM scale: 5.4 — an extended spam bot. I don’t think I’ve seen more than three .exe suffixes in my HDs. I usually execute them instantly, wiping their shadows with zeroes three times with Burn 2.5. Good fun, wish I could see more.
Bagle…we now need a LOX and Cream Cheese virii
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” /> I was given a Toshiba laptop to fix. Had to wipe the HD and restore the original software. It was on the internet a total of fifteen minutes (so i could donload antivirus, anti spyware and firewall software. The machine was badly infested with spyware and 5 different virii. in just 15 minutes. No wonder PC users are getting frustrated. Most of them don’t run firewalls or anti spyware software.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />
I finally convinced my Uncle to buy a Mac. He was shocked when I told him that Mac’s running OS X had no real virii and no spyware. He wants a dual G5
to less is more…”this worm does not have any other destructive effects” what is “could cause computer networks to collapse.” ??
“this worm does not have any other destructive effects” what is “could cause computer networks to collapse.” – ak
Viruses and worms today are not living up to their destructive potential. Sure, down networks are annoying and bad for business. However, consider what can actually ruin businesses:
Let say there is a worm that scans the drive for .XLS or .DOC. Open them up, and randomly take 5 numbers from the file and reduce/increase it by 10-20%. Or randomly deletes 20-30 items off a database. You get the idea.
That would actually force a company to shutdown their business and restore their backups (if one is properly done) or go through their file and re-confirm the data. That is if the company finds out before too late. What if not? The company operates on the wrong data. This kind of payload is way more destructive than shutting down networks because it’s stealthier and more unnoticeable.
ak — I was just quoting from an old article on Bagle.A — it dudn’t delete apps or documents. Bagle.B was similar but had trojan capabilities. Now in its 30th variant and “Open Source,” it could have .exe, .com or .scr suffixes.
After reviewing McAffee’s description (apologies for my shallow research and underrating), I have to upgrade it to LiM 5.6 due to its discriminating taste with addresses. It could be a valuable spamming tool, which is not too cool in my book.
i like bagles. dont badmouth bagles!
with cream cheese, no doubt
I wonder how it must feel to be using a sickly weakling OS that is so suseptable to disease?
Quote
“So guess what had to happen? She had to reload the software IN LESS THAN A MONTH OF HAVING THAT POS COMPUTER! I’m going to be calling my Mom tomorrow about this one and explain YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR! The funniest part is that she accused me of sending her an email with a virus on it. I was like, MACS DON’T GET VIRUSES!!!!”
Macs dont get Windows viruses but they can pass them on if they receive infected emails from another PC and then forward that email to ANOTHER new uninfected PC user.
I have a terrible toothache. I hope its not a bagel, I mean, a virus.
MACS DON’T GET VIRUSES!!!!
More accurately, Macs don’t get infected by viruses.
Oh, winmacguy was already there.
“Macs dont get Windows viruses but they can pass them on if they receive infected emails from another PC and then forward that email to ANOTHER new uninfected PC user.”
Technically that is right, however, I don’t recall ever sending my sister anything other than a normal email. Honestly, I think she was just kidding around in her frustration with the computer. But we never figured out what it was. I don’t know what it is, but I am on a mission to keep people away from Windows computers. Unfortunately, my sister is stuck with hers for a while. I will convert some more people soon enough.
My brother is stuck with Windows at least as long his business relies on software that only runs on Windows. If I could, I’d give his family a Mac so at least his kids would have an opportunity for computing experiences without as much distracting influence from the dark side.
Hey g,
You want to try and keep my parents away from windows computers? I bought our family an iMac last Christmas, and my parents keep telling me that they’re going to get a Windows PC and ship me off to college with the iMac (I really wanted them to keep the iMac and I could get a PowerBook).
And I know exactly what’s going to happen when they get their new PC. They’re going to give me troubleshooting calls all the time with viruses, crappy software, etc. Bleh. Like college won’t be difficult enough without having to deal with my parent’s Windows problems.
viruses spoof email addresses so that indeed your <kin-relation-here> could receive a virus *apparently* from you. It is rather difficult to convince a Wintel relative/acquaintance that you never sent him/her that infected email: Their lack of knowledge on anything virus/trojan/adware/spyware is abysmal.
Easy as a cake if you have installed a X509 digital certificate to use with your email, then you can rest your case.
Casey: tell your parents they are on their own if they get a PC. No support from you as they are just buying troubles not a computer so they keep what they buy. They are adult, you warned them, they have to assume the responsibility of their choice. It is not “if” they will have problems with the PC, it is “when” their PC will be toasted.
…and it seems to work. Another friend whom I helped with her problems on windows is getting a Powerbook after I finally told her that as a real friend I had to stop helping her:
“Look, I use Mac also professionally exactly not to have to deal with all these absurdities delaying work and ruining efficiency.
I am just helping you stick with Windows if I keep helping you solve your issues that are non-existing with OS X. I do not do all this hand-holding care with my Mac for it to run smoothly. PC with Windows run a retarded, disabled OS. You are not a PC user, you are a PC nurse.”
She resisted a couple of weeks… Her Powerbook was ordered yesterday.
Apple: The choice of the smarter generation!
Apart corporate users which have other factors to weight in, an home user fighting daily with Windows who sticks to it cannot be *that* smart.
And with todays USB peripherals and Firewire the old adagio “I have too much money invested on peripherals already to switch” is again a sign of not being very smart.
So, staying with Windows because of that old printer and scanner (way outdated by now)? Very smart.
Have to say that my Windows acquaintances tend to be more ignorant on IT stuff than my Mac acquaintances. Mostly it comes from them being Windows users at work and told NOT to touch the configurations for any reasons.
They use the PC as a dumb terminal to corporate services.
Mac users as a matter of fact have to integrate themselves in a Windows corporate network and manage their computer so end up knowing much more – even on Windows stuff – then their counterpart.
And they know enough of both platform to make an informed choice when they can: a Mac.
Mmmmmmm Bagles…
I just had a Bagle for breakfast…
Here we go again!…
When will windows users learn to go to Mac and forget Windows?
Boy – they must be the biggest group of suckers the world has ever known!
If someone only has $500 to spend on a computer they should consider a used iMac/eMac. I just gave my parents my 4+ year old iMac Graphite with 10.3 installed. Works better than a new eMachines or other POS windows computer.
This time I made it: I infected a PC for real.
ROFL, I had an intense discussion with a Windows idiot gobbling the FUD that Macs do not get viruses because they are so few.
I dared him to infect mine while I would have tried to infect his.
LOL, guess who had to reinstall the OS?
UHAHAHAHAHAHAH, I loved seeing his Windows ego crumble.
Windows IDIOTS of the world unite: you need that to make half a working brain.