Re: AOL vs. Koreans

[Paul Taylor <ptaylor () MARTNET COM>]

Even this is not all that great. Our network gets scanned, SYN flodded,
poked at wit4h CyberCop & the like, and almost every time I call, I get an
idiot on the phone to whom I have to explain exactly *how* a scanner, port
probe or a SYN flood works. After the 15th time explaining what a three
way handshake is, I get a little upset. We aren't talking tech support
here, I'm talking about admins, network guys and the like. It's sad.

Paul

On Sat, 2 Sep 2000, Erik Tayler wrote:

> While sending an e-mail to AOL [ or any other large ISP for that matter ] is
> convenient [ however largely unproductive ], nothing beats the old-fashioned
> telephone call. You are less likely to receive a canned response from a live
> support person, mainly because you can yell at them until they understand
> what you are talking about. Give it a try. There are so many people sending
> mail to the INCIDENTS list about how they receive "canned" e-mail from
> certain places, a simple solution would be to simply pick up your phone and
> press 11 numbers.
>
> Erik Tayler
> 14x Network Security
> http://www.14x.net
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Incidents Mailing List [mailto:INCIDENTS () SECURITYFOCUS COM]On
> Behalf Of Brian Battle
> Sent: Thursday, August 31, 2000 4:46 PM
> To: INCIDENTS () SECURITYFOCUS COM
> Subject: AOL vs. Koreans
>
>
> I recently had someone from AOL scanning our domain quite intesively so I
> thought what the hell, lets see what AOLs response would be.  So I sent off
> an email with the logs to them and an hour later got a canned message
> telling me how to install virus protection software.  The mail is listed
> below (and no, I'm not an AOL customer).  You'd think they would at least
> come up with a canned response to send to systems administrators that kind
> of made sense.  Makes me wonder what is worse, no response from the Korean
> domains that scan us, or the big bloated american as apple pie AOL sending
> me canned responses as to how to install virus protection software.  Next
> thing you know, they'll be sending me free AOL disks when I report
> incidents....
>
>
>
>
>
> Dear Member,
>
> Thank you for contacting America Online's Community Action Team. Based on
> the
> information in your e-mail, a "Trojan Horse" file may have been downloaded
> onto your computer and could be causing your AOL software to malfunction.
>
> A Trojan Horse is a computer program that's designed to look like something
> fun or attractive -- like a game or screen saver -- but its true purpose is
> completely different.  Trojan Horses are distributed as files attached to
> e-mail or web pages, which is why we recommend that you never download an
> email attachment sent to you by someone you don't know and are very careful
> about what you download from web pages on the Internet. Some Trojan Horse
> programs are designed to send your AOL password to another person.  This
> gives that person access to your account.
>
> The instructions below describe how to download the FREE evaluation version
> of McAfee VirusScan Software. This software is designed to disable Trojan
> Horse programs. There are five steps to this process (instructions for each
> procedure follow):
>
> A.  Download the McAfee VirusScan Software.
> B.  Install the McAfee VirusScan Software.
> C.  Run an initial virus check.
> D.  Download the special driver (file) that detects Trojans and
>     run the virus check again.
> E.  Change your America Online password.
>
> Before you begin...
>
> Before downloading the McAfee VirusScan Software, check to make sure that
> AOL
> is set to automatically decompress files at sign off. Log on to AOL and do
> the following:
>
> 1.  Click on My AOL
> 2.  Click on Preferences
> 3.  Click on Download
> 4.  Verify "Automatically Decompress Files At Sign-off" is checked
> 5.  Close Download
> 6.  Close Preferences
>
> Now you are ready to begin downloading the VirusScan software.
>
> A. To download McAfee Virus Scan Software:
>
> 1. Sign on to America Online and go to Keyword: <A
> HREF="aol://1722:ComputerProtection">Computer Protection</A>.
>     (To go to a keyword, type it into the text entry field on the toolbar
> and
> click Go)
>  2. Click Anti-Virus Center, then click  <A
> HREF="aol://4344:2452.virus_2.26157383.578950318">Download</A> the VirusScan
>
> free demo right now. This will bring you to the Tools and Solutions window.
>  3. Click on Demo Version.
>  4. Select the VirusScan v4.0.3 for Win95/98 version.
>  5. Click the Download Now button - then click Save.
>  6. After the file has finished downloading click OK.
>  7. Click Exit on the File menu to exit America Online.
>
> When you exit America Online, the file you just downloaded should
> automatically unzip. (If the file did not automatically unzip after exiting,
>
> you will need to unzip it using a third-party program, such as WinZip or
> PKZip.)
>
> B. To Install the VirusScan software:
>
> 1. From the Windows Desktop click on Start.
> 2. Select Find. Select Files or Folders.
> 3. In the Named: box, type: 3V98.
> 4. In the Look In box, select (C:) (or the drive AOL is installed on) from
> the list.
> 5. Make sure there is a check mark in the Include Subfolders check box.
> 6. Click Find Now.
> 7. This will find a folder called 3V98i403. Double-click on the folder.
>     (If more than   one folder is found, double-click on the one
>     that has no file extension.)
> 8. Double click on SETUP.EXE. (This will automatically install
>     the VirusScan software. You may be prompted to restart you computer
>     before running an initial virus check.)
>
> C. Run an initial virus check:
>
>  1. On the Windows 95/98 Taskbar, click Start. Point to the Programs
>     folder, then point to McAfee VirusScan.
>     Select McAfee VirusScan Central.
>  2. When the McAfee window appears, click Scan. A window
>     will appear asking if you would like to purchase the McAfee
>     VirusScan program once your evaluation trial ends.
>     Click the appropriate button.
>  3. In the Scan In field, select the drive to be scanned (i.e., C:\).
>  4. If there is not a check mark in the Include Subfolders check box,
>     click once in the check box to select it.
>  5. Click Scan Now.
>  6. If a virus is found, please choose Clean or Delete.
>
> D.  To download the special driver update:
>
>  1. Sign back on to America Online and go to Keyword: <A
> HREF="aol://1722:ComputerProtection">Computer Protection</A>.
>  2. Click  <A HREF="aol://4344:2452.virus_2.26157383.578950318">Download</A>
>
> the VirusScan free demo right now. This will bring you back to the Tools and
>
> Solutions window
>  3. Click Free Driver Update.
>  4. Select the Extra.dat file and click Download Now.
>  5. You want to save the Extra.dat file in the folder
>     called Network Associates.
>     To find this folder click the down arrow on the field labeled Save in:
>     Select C: > Program Files > Network Associates.
>  6. Click Save to download the file.
>  7. Click Exit on the File menu to exit America Online.
>  8. Repeat the steps listed in section C above to run an updated virus
> check.
>
> E. To change your America Online password:
>
> 1.  Sign on to America Online.
> 2.  Go to Keyword: <A HREF="aol://1722:password">Password</A> and select a
> new password.
>
> Remember, taking a few minutes to check the security of your computer and
> AOL
> account now can save you time and inconvenience later. Please take advantage
>
> of this opportunity to assure your online safety.  If you need further
> assistance with the McAfee's software, you can contact their website (<A
> HREF="http://www.mcafee.com/";>www.McAfee.com</A>).
>
> If you have any comments or questions please send mail to <A HREF="mailto:
> TOSGeneral">TOSGeneral</A>.
>
> Regards,
> Shaun
> Community Action Team
> America Online, Inc.
>
> P.S. -- America Online is doing everything possible to keep our Internet
> online community as safe and secure as possible. To learn more about the
> dangers of Trojan Horses or computer viruses, please visit the following
> areas: the Computer Protection Center at Keyword: <A
> HREF="aol://1722:ComputerProtection">Computer Protection</A> and AOL
> Neighborhood Watch at Keyword: <A
> HREF="aol://1722:NeighborhoodWatch">Neighbor
> hood Watch</A>, where you can find other online safety tips.