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Date: July 27, 1992 20:08
From: GAWD::SHEPPERD
To: @SYS$MAIL:PC-USERS
CC: SHEPPERD
This warning appeared on the network. It may be old news, but you ought to be warned: _____________________________________________________ The Computer Incident Advisory Capability ___ __ __ _ ___ / | / \ / \___ __|__ /___\ \___ _____________________________________________________ INFORMATION BULLETIN PKZIP Trojan Alert JULY 8, 1992, 1700 PT Number C-27 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ PROBLEM: Bogus versions of the PKZIP archiving software have been released to Bulletin Board Systems (BBS). PLATFORM: PCs running PC-DOS, or MS-DOS DAMAGE: One version attempts to erase the hard disk. DETECTION: Look for the files: PKZ201.ZIP, PKZ201.EXE, PKZIPV2.ZIP, or PKZIPV2.EXE REMOVAL: Save a copy of the files for CIAC, then delete the files. Do not extract or run these files. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Critical Facts about the PKZIP Trojan CIAC has learned that two bogus versions of the popular archiving utility PKZIP for PC-DOS and MS-DOS machines are being circulated on several BBSs around the country. The two bogus versions of PKZIP are, 2.01 (PKZ201.ZIP and PKZ201.EXE) and 2.2 (PKZIPV2.ZIP and PKZIPV2.EXE). If you have downloaded any of these files, do not attempt to use them. You risk the destruction of all the data on your hard disk if you do. At the current time, the released version of PKZIP is version 1.10. A new version of PKZIP is expected to be released in the next few months. Its version number was planned to be 2.00, but may be increased to a number greater than 2.2 to prevent confusion with the bogus versions. PKWARE Inc. has indicated it will never issue a version 2.01 or 2.2 of PKZIP. A good copy of the latest version of PKZIP can always be gotten from the PKWARE BBS listed below. According to PKWARE Inc. version 2.01 is a hacked version of PKZIP 1.93 Alpha. While this version does not intentionally do any damage, it is alpha level software, and may have serious bugs in it. Version 2.2 is a simple batch file that attempts to erase your C:\ and C:\DOS directories. If your hard disk has been erased by this program, you may be able to recover it using hard disk undelete utilities such as those in Norton Utilities, or PCTools. Don't do anything that might create or expand a file on your hard disk until you have undeleted the files, as you may overwrite the deleted files which will destroy them. To examine a file to see if it is version 2.2, type it to the screen with the DOS TYPE command. If the file that prints on the screen is a short batch file with commands such as DEL C:\*.*, or DEL C:\DOS\*.* then you have the bogus file. If you should happen to see any of these files on a BBS, please contact the sysop of that BBS immediately, and ask him to remove them. If you have downloaded one of these files, please save a copy for CIAC, and then delete the files from your hard disk. PKWARE Inc. has also asked to be informed of any occurrences of these files, and can be reached at, Voice: 414-354-8699 BBS: 414-354-8670 FAX: 414-354-8559 or by mail: PKWARE Inc. 9025 N. Deerwood Drive Brown Deer, WI 53223 USA For additional information or assistance, please contact CIAC: CIAC at (510) 422-8193/(FTS) FAX (510) 423-8002/(FTS) send e-mail to [email protected]. PLEASE NOTE: Many users outside of the DOE and ESnet computing communities receive CIAC bulletins. If you are not part of these communities, please contact your agency's response team to report incidents. Some of the other teams include the NASA NSI response team, DARPA's CERT/CC, NAVCIRT, and the Air Force response team. Your agency's team will coordinate with CIAC. CIAC would like to acknowledge the contribution of: PKWARE Inc. This document was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor the University of California nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation or favoring by the United States Government or the University of California. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or the University of California, and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes.
Jul 27, 1992