I read Peter Borchers’ column with interest. I am a senior microsystems engineer with a company in Columbia, SC.

I receive an electronic version of your newspaper via PointCast’s U-Wire channel.

You fell victim to one of two things: NetBus or BackOrifice.

Both of these programs are classified as trojan horse viruses and are very bad news.

Your computer could still have the server piece of NetBus or BackOrifice, and you would not know.

My advice is to get the latest version of IBM AntiVirus with the latest signature file because it will detect the application and see the ports that these programs keep open.

The concept is that by playing this “Whack-a-Mole” game, a file is installed without your knowledge.

It can be named anything, and it is undetectable by Windows ’95 alone.

This program opens a port on your computer and waits for a request from a user/voyeur/loser that has the other “half” of the program.

Once the connection is made, you are done for.

He can delete, add, move and rename your files.

He can open your CD-ROM drive, play sounds, listen to you if your computer has a microphone.

The real question is how he obtained your IP address. If your school uses static IP addresses then this guy can connect to you anytime.

If your school uses a DHCP server, then the IP addresses change over a specified amount of time, so the guy who got you would only be able to connect to you as long as you have the same IP address.

You may want to run some antivirus software and forward this to your Computer Services Division.

---

Kevin Wimberly

Legal services

Policy Management Systems Corporation