-Caveat Lector-
Uh huh .... does this seem like it's just a tad too convienient
to anyone else . First the internet community puts out up a roar
in response to the inherent privacy invasion of all these
tracking devices popping up and suddenly the virus of all viruses
comes along , warranting FBI notifications for the first time
ever . Then we are all saved from sure destruction of our beloved
e-mail capabilities by the very chips we all so despise , thereby
proving the error of our ways as these ID's are our friends .
Just a thought .....
Divine ~
==================================================
I am numbered by my government .... therefore I am
==================================================
--- Don Allen wrote:
>
>
>
>
> From ZDNN
>
> http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2233931,00.html
>
> Melissa creator may be uncovered
>
> Thanks to a controversial serial ID number, researchers seem
to
> have found
> the virus writer.
>
> By Robert Lemos, ZDNN
> March 29, 1999 5:49 PM PT
>
>
> Two software engineers have extracted information from the
> Melissa virus
> that appears to lead to an account on America Online Inc. and
a
> Web site
> that, if matched with a person, could lead law enforcement
> officials to the
> author of the prolific virus.
>
> The key is a controversial serial number, called the Global
> Unique
> Identifier or GUID, which is included in files created with
> Microsoft
> Corp.'s (Nasdaq:MSFT) Office, as well as some other
> applications, including
> Visual Basic. The serial number raised the concern of privacy
> advocates just
> a few weeks ago for its ability to be used to trace certain
> documents back
> to their creator.
>
> That's exactly what two software engineers have done. Using
the
> unique
> number, Richard M. Smith, president of software tools
developer
> Phar Lap
> Software Inc., and Fredrik Bjorck, a Swedish PhD student at
> Stockholm
> University's Department of Computer and System Sciences, have
> tracked down
> the virus writer to at least one specific Web site.
>
> "We can't be one hundred percent sure," said Smith. "There is
a
> possibility
> that (the Web site author) was framed. There is a possibility
> of little
> green men coming from Mars, too."
>
> In other words, the electronic "fingerprints" on the Melissa
> virus inserted
> in the Word macro and those on the documents posted on the Web
> site are the
> same. The electronic fingerprint, called the media access
> control (MAC)
> address, is a unique serial number for a PC's Ethernet card.
>
> The Web site belongs to a malicious hacker, and a writer of
> virus tools,
> known by several handles, including VicodinES, Sky Roket, John
> Holmes, and
> Johnny "One Leg" Johnson, among others, according to Smith.
>
> Posted on alt.sex
>
> Sky Roket is the name of an America Online user, and is also
> the name on the
> original e-mail that posted Melissa to the alt.sex newsgroup.
> But Smith
> believes that Sky Roket is being used to camouflage the
> activities of
> VicodinES. America Online (NYSE:AOL) would not comment on
> whether that
> particular user was being investigated by the FBI. The FBI
also
> declined to
> comment on any potential investigation.
>
> However, whoever controls Sky Roket has a history of posting
> viruses. Under
> the same handle, at least three viruses were posted in late
> 1997 in exactly
> the same manner (1, 2, and 3). All were attributed to
> VicodinES's authorship.
>
> According to Phar Lap's Smith, the MAC address derived from
the
> Word
> document's GUID and the one derived from the documents on Web
> sites
> registered to VicodinES and Sky Roket match. The connection
was
> first
> pointed out by Bjorck in Sweden.
>
> ZDNN has independently confirmed that documents accompanying
an
> Office 2000
> macro virus on VicodinES's Web site, created by the person
> using the Vicodin
> handle, include the same electronic fingerprint as the Melissa
> virus.
> Another one of VicodinES's files is stored on Skyroket's
> personal site on AOL.
>
> This could be a costly mistake for the writer. The FBI is
> looking to
> prosecute the writer with a fine of $350,000 and five to 10
> years, according
> to statements made by Michael Vatis, director of the National
> Infrastructure
> Protection Center.
>
>
>
>
<HR>
<html>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<font size=3>From ZDNN<br>
<br>
<a
href="http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2233931,00.html"
eudora="autourl">http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2233931,00.html</a><br>
<br>
Melissa creator may be uncovered<br>
<br>
Thanks to a controversial serial ID number, researchers seem to
have
found <br>
the virus writer.<br>
<br>
By Robert Lemos, ZDNN<br>
March 29, 1999 5:49 PM PT <br>
<br>
<br>
Two software engineers have extracted information from the
Melissa virus
<br>
that appears to lead to an account on America Online Inc. and a
Web site
<br>
that, if matched with a person, could lead law enforcement
officials to
the <br>
author of the prolific virus.<br>
<br>
The key is a controversial serial number, called the Global
Unique <br>
Identifier or GUID, which is included in files created with
Microsoft
<br>
Corp.'s (Nasdaq:MSFT) Office, as well as some other
applications,
including <br>
Visual Basic. The serial number raised the concern of privacy
advocates
just <br>
a few weeks ago for its ability to be used to trace certain
documents
back <br>
to their creator. <br>
<br>
That's exactly what two software engineers have done. Using the
unique
<br>
number, Richard M. Smith, president of software tools developer
Phar Lap
<br>
Software Inc., and Fredrik Bjorck, a Swedish PhD student at
Stockholm
<br>
University's Department of Computer and System Sciences, have
tracked
down <br>
the virus writer to at least one specific Web site.<br>
<br>
"We can't be one hundred percent sure," said Smith.
"There
is a possibility <br>
that (the Web site author) was framed. There is a possibility of
little
<br>
green men coming from Mars, too." <br>
<br>
In other words, the electronic "fingerprints" on the
Melissa
virus inserted <br>
in the Word macro and those on the documents posted on the Web
site are
the <br>
same. The electronic fingerprint, called the media access control
(MAC)
<br>
address, is a unique serial number for a PC's Ethernet card.<br>
<br>
The Web site belongs to a malicious hacker, and a writer of virus
tools,
<br>
known by several handles, including VicodinES, Sky Roket, John
Holmes,
and <br>
Johnny "One Leg" Johnson, among others, according to
Smith.<br>
<br>
Posted on alt.sex<br>
<br>
Sky Roket is the name of an America Online user, and is also the
name on
the <br>
original e-mail that posted Melissa to the alt.sex newsgroup. But
Smith
<br>
believes that Sky Roket is being used to camouflage the
activities of
<br>
VicodinES. America Online (NYSE:AOL) would not comment on whether
that
<br>
particular user was being investigated by the FBI. The FBI also
declined
to <br>
comment on any potential investigation.<br>
<br>
However, whoever controls Sky Roket has a history of posting
viruses.
Under <br>
the same handle, at least three viruses were posted in late 1997
in
exactly <br>
the same manner (1, 2, and 3). All were attributed to
VicodinES's
authorship. <br>
<br>
According to Phar Lap's Smith, the MAC address derived from the
Word
<br>
document's GUID and the one derived from the documents on Web
sites
<br>
registered to VicodinES and Sky Roket match. The connection was
first
<br>
pointed out by Bjorck in Sweden.<br>
<br>
ZDNN has independently confirmed that documents accompanying an
Office
2000 <br>
macro virus on VicodinES's Web site, created by the person using
the
Vicodin <br>
handle, include the same electronic fingerprint as the Melissa
virus.
<br>
Another one of VicodinES's files is stored on Skyroket's personal
site on
AOL.<br>
<br>
This could be a costly mistake for the writer. The FBI is looking
to
<br>
prosecute the writer with a fine of $350,000 and five to 10
years,
according <br>
to statements made by Michael Vatis, director of the National
Infrastructure <br>
Protection Center.<br>
<br>
<br>
</font><br>
</html>
_________________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER
==========
CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic
screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters
and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright
frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects
spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL
gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers;
be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and
nazi's need not apply.
Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector.
========================================================================
Archives Available at:
http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html
http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
========================================================================
To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Om
