Warnings!

[Viruses] [Hoaxes] [Hacking] [Paper Archives]

Computer Viruses and Internet Hoaxes

Please check these sites for current information on computer viruses.  

• Virus Information Sources
• CERT (Carnegie Mellon - Computer Emergency Response Team)
  • CERT Advisories
• Computer Incident Advisory Capability (US. DoE)
• Internet Hoaxes
• Computer Security Resource Clearinghouse (National Institute of Standards and Technology)
• Virus Information
• Computer Virus Myths
• Data Fellowes
• IBM: Hype Alerts
• McAfee
  • Virus Information Library
  • Virus Calendar
  • Virus Glossary
• Symantec AntiVirus Research Center

 

• E-Mail Worms

  Several varieties of e-mail 'worms' abound on the Internet.  These are generally safe if you delete the e-mail and its offending attachment.  Do not execute these attached documents.  In general, open attachments only form people you know or reputable sources.  Also note that attachments that are executable (.exe, .vbs, .bat,) or contain macros (.doc, .xls) are especially suspect.  Open Microsoft Office documents only after a virus scan.

  The following worms are (or have been)  prevalent.

  • Happy99.exe
  • Melissa
  • Love-letter-for-you.txt.vbs
  • Resume-Janet-Morris

   

• Internet Hoaxes

  There are many warnings about virus and various potentially dangerous actions the user might engage in that circulate the Web.  Many are purely fictitious.  There are several lists of these hoaxes

  • CIAC Hoax List (US. DoE)
  • McAfee's Internet Hoax List
  • Symantec's Online Virus and Hoax Encyclopedia

  These hoaxes include some rather ubiquitous ones.  I have received email Warnings on all of the following:

 

Please check on hoaxes and viruses prior to passing on any warning you received by e-mail.

• Anti-Virus Software
  • McAffee
  • Norton Anti-Virus (Symantec)

Hacking and Cracking

Hacking and cracking refer to exploring and circumventing computer security systems, respectively.  Hackers generally take the position that they acquire knowledge of computer networking and security, but do not use the information to perform malicious or illegal activities.  Crackers, on the other hand, attempt to break through security measures.  Often cracking is done as as a form of challenging 'puzzle solving', occasionally it is malicious.  and in either case, it is an invasion of privacy and illegal.

• 2600.com (Has list of recently hacked sites)
  • Archive of hacked sites
• Discovery Channel's Hackers: Glossary Computer Outlaws
  • The Lingo of Hacking
  • The Hall of Fame
    • John Draper (Cap'n Crunch - Learn where 2600 got its name.) 
    • Kevin Mitnick (condor)
    • Mark Abene (Phiber Optik)
    • Robert Morris (rtm)
    • Kevin Poulsen (Dark Dante)
    • Vladimir Levin
    • Johan Helsingius
    • Vladimir Levin
    • Johan Helsingius

Student Paper Archives

Students will rapidly become aware of sites such as the student paper archives listed below. It seems prudent that the profession should be aware of them as well. Students would be well advised to consult their university handbooks on plagiarism prior to using such services. Instructors would be well advised to browse these sites occasionally as well.

A Very Incomplete List of Student Paper Archives

• 12000Papers.com
• Academic Term Papers.com
• BigNerds
• BuyPapers.com
• ChuckIII'sCollege Resources
• College Term Papers.com
• Collegiate Care
• The Doctor!
• EssayCrawler.com
• EssayWorld.com 
• Evil House of Cheat (See Note Below!)
• NetEssays
• OPPapers.com
• Paper Cuts
• The Paper Store
• Planet Papers
• Research Assistance
• Research & Writing Solutions
• School Sucks!  

 

Some indices to other paper archives.

• TermPaperSites.com
• Chuckill's College Resources Top 100 Term Paper Sites
• NetEssay's Top 25 paper Sites
• EssayCrawler's Top 50 Paper Sites
  

 

The Evil House of Cheat has earned some special attention (they love it!). They have a password system (After all they don't want students stealing their papers!). They provide the password for either

• a copy of a class paper, or
• a link to their page.

They claim to process the request faster if you include the Graphic, so Evil House of Cheat, here it is:   So get your own password, and browse about. There were about 70 papers in political science listed here last time I looked. (I can't give you my password - remember, I'm one of the guys wearing white hats.)]  

Copyright © 1996-1999, 2000 Robert D. Duval
Page last revised: 02/03/00