| Name: | Raymond T. Kaya |
|---|---|
| Date/Time: | 2008-06-01 at 07:08:14 HST |
| Subject: | Recovering from a Virus Infection |
| Times Read: | [693] since 2008 June 01 |
Many are motivated to take action only after a problem occurs. It becomes personal when it happens to them.
This morning, I had just updated a detailed Excel workbook containing important information. When I tried to save it, my virus software informed me that it had blocked a virus associated with the file; I could no longer access it. I tried to disinfect the virus (without having to delete the file), but this couldn't be done. I deleted the file.
I had made backups. The most recent backup was also affected, so I retrieved an older one which would require some amount of updating.
I did an Internet search on the named virus and learned that it exploited a previously unknown vulnerability when processing malformed Excel documents. I discovered too late that OpenOffice.org does not have this vulnerability.
For updating the unaffected, older backup, I am using OpenOffice.org's Calc module.
OpenOffice.org is not only free, but it can be set to automatically check for (and download if you wish) updates. This is important if any vulnerabilities are detected and fixed.
Raymond T. Kaya
Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
www.reikialoha.com/raymond