Tuesday, July 23, 2002

WebTV virus dials 911 Police show up only to find infected WebTVs. A new virus has hit some WebTV devices, and its effects could have ramifications for the emergency phone network. Reportedly, once an attachment is opened using the WebTV set-top box, the virus dials 911. A customer service supervisor at Microsoft confirms that 18 customers have called in to report the suspicious WebTV behavior. WebTVs now go by the name MSNTV, but older brands still have the WebTV branding. According to Microsoft, both units are affected. http://www.techtv.com/news/security/story/0,24195,3392631,00.html [PGN adds: see also http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/TechTV/techtv_911virus020723.html ] [Monty Solomon via risks-digest Volume 22, Issue 17] 23:45 # G!

Virus Dials 911 - Police Show Up Only to Find Infected WebTVs. Reports of the virus first surfaced in WebTV user group boards such as WebTV's alt.discuss news group. Those reports say that once the infected attachment is opened, the WebTV shuts down, reboots, then calls 911. Several people have reported this happening and then having a police officer show up at their door. A customer service supervisor at Microsoft confirms that 18 customers have called in to report the suspicious WebTV behavior. [ABCnews] 23:24 # G!