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From: MCOOMBS@STEVENS.BITNET (Meredith Coombs)
Newsgroups: comp.virus
Subject: "Virus" on MS-DOS systems (PC)
Message-ID: <0002.9006271607.AA09069@ubu.cert.sei.cmu.edu>
Date: 25 Jun 90 19:25:00 GMT
Sender: Virus Discussion List <VIRUS-L@LEHIIBM1.BITNET>
Lines: 19
Approved: krvw@sei.cmu.edu

We've come across a virus-like problem which seems to primarily
affect floppy disks.   It shows up when you try to format a floppy
and get an error message that says the boot sector is bad.  Attempting
to use the FORMAT command on a pc's hard disk when the system has the
"virus" results in an error message.  (You can do an FDISK -- from
a floppy -- of the hard disk.)

One way the "virus" makes itself known is by creating a file
named delta-character4EIBM.n.n or delta-char<EIBM.n.n  (where n.n
stands for the DOS version with which the diskette was formatted.

I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who has information on cause and
cure for this virus.   (Our virus detecting software, SCAN v6.3 from
McAfee) can't spot it at all.)

Meredith Coombs
Manager of User Services
Stevens Institute of Technology
Hoboken, NJ  07030