file named " ~ " appearing on desktop

A file named " ~ " persistently appearing on my desktop.
Keep deleting it, it keeps re-appearing.
Can anyone advise what this is please? Thanks.

Carole
Windows ME User

Mart
Sun Feb 29 17:24:47 CST 2004

"What is the Tilde (~) file that appears on Desktop"
http://www.pchell.com/support/tildefile.shtml

Mart

"Carole" <carole@ashworth2003.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
news:%23c1X3qx$DHA.3804@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> A file named " ~ " persistently appearing on my desktop.
> Keep deleting it, it keeps re-appearing.
> Can anyone advise what this is please? Thanks.
>
> Carole
> Windows ME User
>
>

David
Sun Feb 29 17:25:58 CST 2004

This has to be one of the most common asked questions...

It is a bug in Outlook Express and the file that uses the tilde character (~) is a copy of
your Windows Address Book. You can see this if your rename the file TEST.WAB.

Just delete the file.

In addition:
If you post to UseNet with your TRUE, not a munged, email address then you have invited the
Swen Internet worm [aka; W32/Gibe-F] to visit you.

The Swen is news spelled backwards. The reason it is called this is because the Swen worm
harvests email addresses from UseNet News Groups. It has an engine that allows it to post
itself to UseNet News Groups as well as it has its own email engine. From the list of
email addresses that it has harvested, it will then email itself to those addresses.

Dave



"Carole" <c a r o l e @ ashworth2003.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
news:%23c1X3qx$DHA.3804@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
| A file named " ~ " persistently appearing on my desktop.
| Keep deleting it, it keeps re-appearing.
| Can anyone advise what this is please? Thanks.
|
| Carole
| Windows ME User
|
|

cquirke
Wed Mar 03 06:12:46 CST 2004

On Sun, 29 Feb 2004 18:25:58 -0500, "David H. Lipman"

>This has to be one of the most common asked questions...

Yep. And we are over 6 months waiting for MS to "fix" this unintended
bug in what was delivered as a security patch. Not great QA.

>It is a bug in Outlook Express and the file that uses the tilde character (~) is a copy of
>your Windows Address Book. You can see this if your rename the file TEST.WAB.

>If you post to UseNet with your TRUE, not a munged, email address then you have invited the
>Swen Internet worm [aka; W32/Gibe-F] to visit you.

Yep. In the same vein, any tenuous toe-hold (by spammers, malware
etc.) that can only exploit a "attacker must know the path and name of
the file..." flaw cannot read your "real" address book, but can guess
and get lucky to get this ~ copy.

That is why I don't see this as a harmless bug, particularly in the
context of patches aimed at addressing security flaws.



>-------------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -
Running Windows-based av to kill active malware is like striking
a match to see if what you are standing in is water or petrol.
>-------------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -

Mart
Wed Mar 03 08:52:33 CST 2004

Chris wrote:-

> Yep. And we are over 6 months waiting for MS to "fix" this unintended
> bug

6? - make that 12 <g>

Mart


"cquirke (MVP Win9x)" <cquirkenews@nospam.mvps.org> wrote in message
news:9oib405plafhih5nut64aqm527iao2nnh5@4ax.com...
> On Sun, 29 Feb 2004 18:25:58 -0500, "David H. Lipman"
>
> >This has to be one of the most common asked questions...
>
> Yep. And we are over 6 months waiting for MS to "fix" this unintended
> bug in what was delivered as a security patch. Not great QA.
>
> >It is a bug in Outlook Express and the file that uses the tilde character
(~) is a copy of
> >your Windows Address Book. You can see this if your rename the file
TEST.WAB.
>
> >If you post to UseNet with your TRUE, not a munged, email address then
you have invited the
> >Swen Internet worm [aka; W32/Gibe-F] to visit you.
>
> Yep. In the same vein, any tenuous toe-hold (by spammers, malware
> etc.) that can only exploit a "attacker must know the path and name of
> the file..." flaw cannot read your "real" address book, but can guess
> and get lucky to get this ~ copy.
>
> That is why I don't see this as a harmless bug, particularly in the
> context of patches aimed at addressing security flaws.
>
>
>
> >-------------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -
> Running Windows-based av to kill active malware is like striking
> a match to see if what you are standing in is water or petrol.
> >-------------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -