Date:         6/7/96 4:33 PM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Tom Olsen
Subject:      

>PLEASE DISTRIBUTE THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE 
>TO ALL VA FACILITIES ON ALL SYSTEMS IMMEDIATELY !!!   
>                                       THANKS.
>THE MESSAGE FOLLOWS:
>
>The VA Austin Automation Center (AAC) has received a message from the
>Department of Defense regarding a computer virus on the World Wide
>Web.  If you have anyone at your station using Netscape version 2.0 or 
>2.1, you should have them disable Java ASAP to avoid the possibility of 
>picking up a Java virus.  Message from DOD follows:
>
>       URGENT!    URGENT!   URGENT!   URGENT!   URGENT!   URGENT!
>
>       WHAT IS THE PROBLEM --     A hostile Java applet is stalking the World
>       Wide Web.  It is a Black Widow Java called JAVA.  Princeton University
>       Researchers have found hostile java applets on the World Wide Web.
>       They reside on web sites set up with a malicious intent, and are
>       downloaded and executed automatically when an innocent user visits
>       that site.
>
>       WHAT IT COULD DO --  These Java applets are programs that can destroy
>       data and interfere with your network.  They may even upload sensitive
>       material to a third party.
>
>       WHO DOES THIS APPLY TO  --  This applies to all users using
>       Netscape Navigator 2.0 or Netscape Navigator 2.01.
>
>       HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELVES  --  The (DOD) Computer Emergency
>       Response Team (CERT) staff recommends disabling Java in Netscape
>       Navigator 2.0 or Netscape Navigator 2.01 until patches are available.
>
>       WHEN SHOULD THIS BE DONE -- AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!!!
>
>       INSTRUCTIONS ON DISABLING JAVA IN NETSCAPE
>       1.  Open Netscape Navigator.
>       2.  Pull down the Help menu.
>       3.  Click on About Netscape.
>       4.  Check to see if you have version 2.0 or 2.01.  If so, continue
>          with the next step.  If not, then you can not be affected by the
>          Hostile Java.
>       5.  Pull down the Options menu.
>       6.  Click on Security Preferences.
>       7.  Under General, place a "X" in the Disable Java and the
>          Disable Java Script box in the Java window.
>
>       This is a short term solution.  Netscape Navigator 2.02 is supposed
>       to contain the fix as a permanent solution.
>
>


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