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From: JAHAYES%MIAMIU.BITNET@OHSTVMA.IRCC.OHIO-STATE.EDU (Josh Hayes)
Newsgroups: comp.virus
Subject: WDEF infections and combatting them (Mac)(summary)
Message-ID: <0012.9012041821.AA14135@ubu.cert.sei.cmu.edu>
Date: 3 Dec 90 19:26:10 GMT
Sender: Virus Discussion List <VIRUS-L@LEHIIBM1>
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Approved: krvw@sei.cmu.edu

Since posting my innocent suggestion for eliminating WDEF (rebuilding
the desktop), and a minor complaint about the idiots in my department
who continue to re-infect themselves, time and time again, I've gotten
lots of mail on the subject. In the hopes of stemming that tide, and
maybe even passing on some useful information, here are several of the
things people have told me to use, as I remember them:

1) Gatekeeper / Gatekeeper Aid. This will detect any disk that is
infected and remove the infection while u wait, apparently very
efficiently. Several reports swear by it for eliminating the kind
of recurrence that has been plaguing my department.

2) Of course, Disinfectant 2.3 (indeed, I think 2.x) detects and
can remove the virus from any disk, if the init is installed or on
regular scans of a series of disks.

3) SAM (Symantec's product) also received a couple of plaudits, but
of course, it's commercial, unlike the first two.

4) Finally, the solution I used, a nice little INIT called Eradicat'em,
kindly sent me by Dave Platt (platt@coherent.com; I sent thanks, Dave,
but my mailer is too stupid to find you. Thanks!) which, once installed,
quietly and in the background MURDERS infections of WDEF. Hah! I went
around about a week ago in the dead of night and installed it on every
machine I could get my hands on -- and this is the moderately unethical
part -- I convinced the icon not to show up on startup. Shhh. Don't
tell anyone. But magically, we have no more WDEF troubles.

And that's not my job, anyway; I'm supposed to be using my computers
to model acid rain-induced changes in lake water chemistry....now I
can get back to work ( :-), I think....)

Again, thanks to all who sent replies and comments. You can stop now.

Josh Hayes, Zoology Department, Miami University, Oxford OH 45056
voice: 513-529-1679      fax: 513-529-6900
jahayes@miamiu.bitnet, or jahayes@miamiu.acs.muohio.edu
"I am the Supreme Being, you know; I'm not completely dim."


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