Safety Software including Nuke Nabber!!
Chatmag.com Visits Each Chat Room or Link On Each of Our Pages, To Insure a Working Chat Room, If You Find a Link That is Not to a Chat Room, or Have any Other Concerns About a Link, Please Let Us Know, and include the Chat Topic and Link name.
Special Announcement
November 25, 2002 Chatmag.net Launches New Chat NetworkChat News for 2001-2002
December 30, 2002 New Yaha Worm Version Attacks Pakistani Government SiteDecember 18, 2002 IRCForum.com interviews Taz, CEO of Dalnet
December 17, 2002 Chatmag releases its top 10 chat topics for 2002
December 13, 2002 Don't Be Scammed for the Holidays
December 10, 2002 Dalnet Continues to Experience Attacks, Losing Rankings
November 15, 2002 Illegal Norton Anti Virus Software Alert
November 13, 2002 Friendgreet Worm alert
November 8, 2002 Man arrested for extortion after remarks made in Chat Room
November 8, 2002 Dalnet experiences 'net attacks
October 27, 2002 ezboard launches new version
October 13, 2002 Yahoo! Chat limits users
October 11, 2002 New Worm detected
September 12, 2002 September 11 information
September 3, 2002 Chatmag pans "The Rules for Online Dating"
July 15, 2002 Frethem Worm alert
February 10, 2002 Virus spreading via IRC Chat
December 31, 2001 Top chat searches for 2002
December 27, 2001 Chatmag joins Nubonyx
November 10, 2001 Dalnet breaks the 100k barrier
March 4, 2001 Dalnet bans AOL
January 23, 2001 Hackers arrested
January 8, 2001 Dalnet and Undernet attacksDecember 30, 2002 New Yaha Worm Version Attacks Pakistani Government Site
A new version of the Yaha Worm, first discovered by Chatmag.com, is set to implement a Denial of Service Attack at an Official Pakistani Government Web Site. This is similar to another Yaha Worm sent out earlier this summer, attacking another Pakistani web site.
The infected email comes with a 47K attachment, and the message:
Hello,
Looking for some Hardcore mind boggling action ?
Install the attached browser software and browse
across millions of paid hardcore sex sites for free.
Using the software you can safely and easily browse
across most of the hardcore XXX paid sites across the
internet for free. Using it you can also clean all
traces of your web browsing from your computer.Note:The attached browser software is made exclusivley
for demo only. You can use the software for a limited
time of 35 days after which you have to register it
at our official website for its furthur use.Regards,
Admin.Another version of the message is an offer of free software, and a payout to persons distributing the software to their friends.
Delete the suspicious email. Do not run the attached program. For more information, please see the Alert issued by Sophos.com
December 18, 2002 Taz, the CEO of Dalnet, is interviewed on IRCForum.com, a new forum dedicated to IRC news and information, from IRCNews.com.
December 17, 2002 Chatmag releases its list of the top ten chat topics of 2002
For our Press Release, Please Click Here.
December 13, 2002 Don't Be Scammed for the Holidays
Click Here for a great article on Internet ScamsDecember 10, 2002 Dalnet Continues to Experience Attacks
Chatmag News. Dalnet, once the largest IRC Network, has in the past few weeks experienced a series of attacks upon their IRC servers, bringing the user count down to well below 100,000 users, making the Network unavailable, and losing several of their linked servers. Frink, the Administrator for several of Dalnet's servers, has decided to delink both Twisted and Typhoon servers permanently from the Dalnet Network.
November 25, 2002 Chatmag Launches Chat Network.
Chatmag News. Chatmag opens our companion chat network, Chatmag.net. The chat network is primarily focused on providing chat rooms to school alumni organizations, and also special interest topics. For more information please see our Welcome Page.
November 15, 2002 Illegal Norton Anti Virus Software being Sold Via Spam Email.
Chatmag News. We have received many reports of an email message offering copies of Symantec's Norton Anti Virus for sale. A check of the web site shows it is registered to a Maryland based company, however a check of the web site IP shows that it is hosted on a web server in China. We do not recommend purchasing Symantec products from any web site other than the official Symantec site.
November 13, 2002 New Worm spreading.
Chatmag News. There is a new Worm spreading via email, named W32.Friendgrt.B. A user receives an email stating they have received an e-card greeting from a friend, and directing them to a web site, where they are instructed to download and install a "Viewer" to view their greeting card. The "Viewer" is the worm. Chatmag readers are advised that no legitimate site will require you to download any software to simply pick up an e-card.
The email directs users to one of the following domains:
www.friend-card.com
www.friend-card.net
www.friend-cards.com
www.cool-downloads.com
www.cool-downloads.net
www.friend-greet.comwww.friend-greeting.com
www.friend-greeting.net
www.friend-greetings.com
www.friend-greetings.net
www.friend-cards.net
www.laugh-mail.comInstructions to remove the worm can be found at:
http://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/virusencyclo/default5.asp?VName=WORM_FRIENDGRT.B
November 8, 2002 Man arrested for extortion after remarks in an Internet Chat Room.
SALT LAKE CITY (Reuters) - An 18-year-old South Carolina man was arrested after falsely claiming in an Internet chat room that he kidnapped Utah teen Elizabeth Smart and demanded $3 million for her safe return, police said on Wednesday.
No trace has been found of the girl who was kidnapped at gunpoint from her Salt Lake City home in June when she was 14.
Police said there was no indication Walter Kenneth Holloway of Charleston, South Carolina was involved in the girl's disappearance.
"While we don't ignore any lead especially by people claiming to have Elizabeth we were fairly confident up front that Mr. Holloway did not have Elizabeth. But we simply can't discount that possibility," FBI Special Agent James Burrus Jr. told reporters.
According to the FBI, Holloway made contact with a Canadian police officer, the Salt Lake City police department and the Smart family using various screen names and asking for $3 million. The e-mails were first sent in early September.
The e-mails were traced to Holloway who was arrested at his home on Tuesday while he was on-line with police. His home was searched and the girl was not found, police said.
"It's a huge disappointment and very disheartening," the girl's father Ed Smart told reporters.
Holloway was charged with interstate extortion, which carries a prison term of up to 20 years and making a threatening communication over state lines, which carries a five-year prison term, U.S. Attorney for Utah Paul Warner said.
Copyright © 2002 Reuters Limited.
8 Nov. 2002
Dalnet under attackDalnet, the Internet's largest IRC network, has recently experienced a series of attacks. More information can be found on Dalnet's web site.
The following is a message posted on Dalnet's Home Page:"Message of the day
Updated 11/7/02 by Wagahai
DALnet has been the target of many DDoS attacks recently. There is no technical defense to these types of attacks and therefore many of the servers are unreachable. See the current issue of the DALnet Ezine for more information on DDoS attacks.The "cannot assign requested address" error that many are getting will happen when you try to use the "irc.dal.net", the regional "irc.us.dal.net" name or when using a the name of a server that is offline to try to connect to chat. The most up to date server listing we have is here. Unfortunately, we have no estimation on when this will return to normal since we do not know when the attacks mentioned above will stop."
All images and text ©2002 DALnet IRC Network.
Any unauthorized usage is strictly forbidden.
ezboard reaches 10 million registered users.
From ezboard:
"ezboard, Inc. (www.ezboard.com), enables users to create and customize their own Web-based "social space" for professional collaboration and social discussion. ezboard has become the market leader by offering an easy-to-use application that engages people to create and participate in highly customized and personalized online communities, which may be seamlessly integrated with any website. These virtual communities, like their real world counterparts, foster communication, ideas and commerce."
ezboard launches enhanced version 7.0
Yahoo! Chat Update.
It seems that Yahoo! Chat is now limiting their chat room users to 40 or less. We've checked most of their rooms, and the maximum user number is 40.
Microsoft Messenger Worm Detected! A new worm is spreading via MS Messenger, for more information, please see the Trend Mircro Site.
The Internet and September 11.
We noticed a sharp drop in Internet chat users during the past few days, with the 11th being the most quiet. Chatmag has an archive of WTC related pictures, and we saw an upsurge in hits.
Have you seen the new book, "The Rules for Online Dating"? We have, and give it a failing grade. It's obvious that the authors have never spent any time in chat, instead they are continuing the stereotype of all chat rooms as being "meat markets" filled with cheating husbands and scam artists. Becoming a regular and spending some time in a chat room is a great way to get to know people, more like sitting in your living room, rather than a bar. A person can put up a good front once or twice, but generally cannot "play the game" for any length of time. With the growing number of online social communities, such as Yahoo Groups or MSN Communities, it's easy to find a group that matches one's interests, and in the process, make some new friends and really get to know one another.
The authors also admonish women not to answer online personal advertisments. There are a great number of guys who post ads, and are looking for responses. We see this "rule" of theirs as sexist, saying that women should be "seen and not heard". Ladies, take a few simple safety precautions, and answer that guy! Men post their personal ads for the same reasons ladies do, to meet someone. How would a guy feel, posting their ad, and never hearing a response? "The Rules" are way off-base on this one!
Chat and meeting new friends online can be very enjoyable, don't let "The Rules" stand in your way :) We've included the link to the "Rules" web site, however, we DO NOT endorse nor receive any compensation from "The Rules" authors. We'd rather panhandle, it's more honorable.
VIRUS WARNING: E-Mail Message "Your Password!" Is A Virus
LOS ANGELES, CA -- (INTERNET WIRE) -- 07/15/2002 --Panda Software, leading antivirus software producer, warns users of a new e-mail virus: W32/Frethem.K. While this e-mail worm carries a rather low threat level, it is spreading rapidly throughout Europe. The e-mail message carries only one subject field: “Re: Your password!” and, as Klez, exploits the vulnerability in Internet Explorer 5.01 and 5.5 that allows the virus to run automatically when the user views the message in the preview pane.
Unlike Klez, the worm carries only one subject line:
Re: Your password!The text of the message reads as follows:
ATTENTION! You can access very important information by this password DO NOT SAVE password to disk use your mind now press cancel
Attachments (attached files):
Decrypt-password.exe
Password.txtThe initial variant of this worm, Frethem.G, appeared Saturday, with very few incidents reported. The variant, Frethem.K appeared this morning and is spreading rapidly throughout Europe, with many incidents reported in Denmark, Belgium, Spain and Asia. It is suspected the worm originated in Asia.
Panda Software has updated their signature files to detect and disinfect the Frethem.K worm and its variants. As the subject line is always the same, “Re: Your Password!” content filtering is suggested to prohibit the worm from entering the user’s computer. Panda warns all users to exercise caution when viewing e-mail messages and attachments, and to update their virus signature files immediately from their website at: www.pandasoftware.com.
More information on W32/Frethem.K is available in Panda Software’s Virus Encyclopedia at: www.pandasoftware.com.
It is also advisable to apply the security patch supplied by Microsoft that fixes the vulnerability exploited by the virus. This can be downloaded from:
www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS01-020.ASPAbout the International Independent AV Developer Panda Software:
Panda Software (www.pandasecurity.com) is a leading international developer of computer security software, specializing in antivirus solutions for large networks. Panda’s 100% in-house, cutting-edge technology has received awards and quality certifications from the most widely respected IT security institutions. Panda Software was the first to allow truly automatic, daily signature updates, as well as centralized administration of antivirus protection, both of which have revolutionized the antivirus industry. The quality of Panda Software’s products has been endorsed by the major industry watchdogs including: Virus Bulletin, ICSA Labs and CheckMark.
10 Feb. 2002
Malicious File Alert.Malicious files are being sent to unsuspecting users on both Dalnet and Undernet IRC Networks. These files come in two varities. The first is a .zip file, of various file names, which if unpacked, will create dozens of IRC client clones, which then connect to an IRC Network and flood by DoS attack.
The second variety is a private message in IRC chat, directing a user to an Internet Web Site, where the infected file is offered for download.
Either method, if employed, will further cause harm to the IRC Network by flooding with thousands of clones. Do not accept files from persons unknown to yourself, do not download files from questionable sites. If you do recieve a message with an Internet address, please copy and paste the message with the URL to chatmag@hotmail.com and Chatmag.com will contact the Hosting Provider.
Top Chat Topics of 2001
31 December 2001The top chat topic worldwide is of course the 11 September attacks and aftermath. These figures have been compiled from the daily logs of hits to Chatmag's topic pages.
- 11 September Attacks
- EMT-Firefighters
- Police
- Afghanistan
- African-American
- Big Beautiful Women
- BDSM
- Alcoholics Anonymous
- Depression
- Arabic
Chatmag.com joins Nubonyx.com
27 December 2001Chatmag.com has joined the Nubonyx.com Affiliate Program.
Nubonyx.com, an innovative Internet Service Provider, offers in their words, "...an independent, entrepreneurial, versatile ISP that would serve a severely neglected segment of American consumers - the minority community". Chatmag.com contends that the key to understanding is communication, and Nubonyx is clearly a leader in facilitating opportunities for communication. For more information, visit Nubonyx.com
10 November 2001
Dalnet logged over 100,000 simultaneous connected users, a milestone in IRC. Dalnet remains the second largest IRC network, behind IRCnet, and catching up fast. Congratulations to Dalnet.
DALNET BANS AOL AND COMPUSERV
Dalnet Bans AOL and Compuserv Users. In a just issued press release, Dalnet, one of the largest IRC Chat networks, has banned both AOL and Compuserv users. Their press release states:
DALnet's Massads Prevention Team and K-Line Registry has collected over 5,000 instances of mass messaging and inviting in a two month period from America Online users. DALnet has made numerous attempts to open a dialogue with AOL regarding the continued abuse and policy violations from it's users, but has yet to receive a response. To stop the abuse, DALnet was forced to block all users of AOL from it's network.
*Dalnet*How do AOL users feel about this ban? Here is a comment from a long time Dalnet user.
"I feel the ban of all aol members is unfair.. there are those of us who depend on AOL to provide our services. The problem between DalNet and AOL should be worked out between the two companies... and not punish the users. This will cost AOL many customers, I for one have sought other services for this reason." (Editors Note: Dalnet has lifted the ban on AOL.)
Undernet and Dalnet Under Attack!
23 January 2001In Israel, four hackers were apprehended New Years Eve, before being able to effect a DoS attack against Dalnet.
In cooperation with The FBI, who had earlier questioned several hackers in The United States, Israeli authorities have detained four possible suspects in the attacks.
Recently, both Dalnet and Undernet, two of the largest IRC Chat Networks, have been attacked by hackers. On Undernet, hackers have attacked the channel robots, X and W in DoS (Denial of Service) attacks... For more information see the Undernet Home Page.
Dalnet has also experienced attacks, primarily hitting ChanServ and NickServ, the heart of Dalnet's channel and nickname services. Investigations are currently underway, and anyone with substantive information is advised to contact either Dalnet or Undernet.
While both networks are still up and running, you will experience a delay in logging into a chat server, or not being able to Op in a channel. For more information on individual chat safety software, please visit our Chat Safety Software Guide.
Peter J. Carr
Editor
IMPORTANT ICQ NOTICE!!!!
Some people are sending an update to your ICQ that is not authorized by
Mirabilis!!! For the latest ICQ information, go to http://www.mirabilis.com/
This is the ONLY
SITE that you will find official news and information
concerning ICQ!!!
Do NOT accept any file transfers from anyone else, or suffer the consequences!!!
ICQ99 is now
available, and AOL has purchased ICQ, so what is in store for ICQ is still
in question. AOL has no immediate plans to change or eliminate ICQ, more
info to follow.
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