.-. . .--. .--. .--. : : : :--: :-:' : ' -' ' '   --' Nuclear Phreakers/Hackers/Carders ========================================= Information File #5 - Happy Columbus Day! 10-13-89 - Optical Illusion Preface DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD Well, it's Friday the 13th, 1989. Yes, Columbus Day. This is the day the media says, "over 750,000 computers across North America and Europe will be hit." This Columbus Day Virus was to hit these systems on Columbus Day 1989. So when your system's clock would switch from 10-12-89 to 10-13-89, you would have the system lock up while the virus ate the File Allocation Table. Hence, the hard drive not booting up when you re-booted up your computer. The Virus DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD The virus itself was supposed to have originated in England where a group of users decided to ruin everyone's drives on the 13th of October. How convenient that it happens to be Columbus day too. No one is sure exactly where the virus is from (what file etc.) because the way the virus works. What happens is that the virus attaches itself to every EXE. and COM. file in your main directory in c:X except the COMMAND.COM file. This is because 90% of the virus checkers that people use check for any differences in the COMMAND.COM file on boot up since the last boot. The virus adds approximately an extra 1024 bytes to each file that is infected and keeps adding itself to more and more EXE's and COM. files as they enter and leave your c:X directory. If you run one of these files that are infected, nothing will happen. This is because of the type of virus. Remember this is not a trojan that you run that will fuck you over right away. It just sits there until the systems' clock turns to 12:00:01 on the 13th of October. Some people that believe they are infected with the virus think that if they skip the 13th on their clock that they will be safe. This is not so. The virus will mess up the drive on the 13th or any day after Columbus day. Who Will Get Hit? DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD The people that first discovered the virus say that approximately 75% percent of the people that get the virus will be from modeming. Yes, that's us. "Damn!" you might say, but this is just bullshit. Everyone has an equal chance to get this virus. It is true, however, that modemers have more of a chance to get it because we get so many more files in and out of our system than the average Joe that goes and buys Wordperfect v5.0 for $500.00 bucks. Another misconception is that pirates will get it much more than public domain users. This is not true either. It is basically the other way around. The public domain users have a much higher chance in checking the virus than anyone else because of the bulletin board is infected than every EXE. and COM. file that is downloaded (unzipped) is also infected and hence, fucking whoever is a downloader on that board. In Conclusion DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD Don't be a leech and download and run everything you get your grubby hands on if you don't want to get hit be this or any other virus. A few hints to saving yourself from a trojan or virus is simply, make backups. If something is important on your drive then back it up. Secondly, don't be paranoid. Don't go get every virus checker or scanner around because most of them create a virus on your system in the first place. Note From the Author DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD Well, this was my first information Gfile as a N.A.R.C. member. I hope it cleared up some misconceptions about the virus. Some of my next Gfiles for N.A.R.C. will be on advanced carding for those that already know about carding and would like to learn a few original and interesting (not to mention, easy) ways to get some good shit. For those of you that would like to find about carding from a beginner's point of view, get a hold of the Gfile I wrote called, "Getting Serious About Carding" or call one of local N.A.R.C. members for some more information. (C)opyright 1989 N.A.R.C. You can reach N.A.R.C. members at --------------------------------- The Nuclear Wasteland Balanced pH Critical Condition Lost Souls Domain ][