Har-Bal Users Forum BBS

I don't mean to alarm anyone, but McAfee has reported a W32/Gaobot.worm.gen.e virus in HarBal 1.5 (the exe file). McAfee goes right ahead and deletes the file. This was only reported after a McAfee update today. I thought somehow my copy of the exe file was infected sometime after the install (which was about the day after the version was first released). However I removed the program via the Control panel, turned off McAfee anti-virus, and reinstalled from the zip file downloaded. Install was fine and I had HarBal 1.5 back. But as soon as I reactivated McAfee it immediately detected the virus and deleted the file again. Since the HarBal.exe file is packed or embedded in the setup.exe file I think it is unlikely that the virus infection is only happening on my machine.

The McAfee site does not have specific info on the variant reported, but does have info on the many variants of this worm. The worm is low risk, but can access the internet via a couple of specific ports - you can read more on the McAfee site.

What to do? Can HarBal check their setup.exe and HarBal.exe (1.5) for the virus? Currently I can't use or install HarBal unless I have my anti-virus disabled, which is not my preferred option.

Anyone else experienced this? HarBal, can you help?

The same thing just happened to me! I thought I was going crazy. I kept trying to re-install but it won't let the .exe file in. I wound up un-installing the whole program and now here I sit. If anyone has any info on what's happening here please advise. Thanks, Steve

Because of the Armadillo protection in our software. McAfee is reading it as a virus.

Below is the reply from Silicon Dreams

We are aware of the problem and can assure you that there are no
viruses in Amradillo or the Armadillo engine that is attached to your
protected programs.

We will be contacting McAfee ourselves to resolve this problem,

Until the problem is resolved, the only thing we can suggest is to
configure McAfee Anti-Virus to exclude Armadillo from being scanned
and to exclude your protected programs as well.


On that basis I would think it is safe to continue using HarBal without it being scanned by McAfee.

Earle Holder
Har-Bal International

Folks

Just forwarding this to you to keep you informed. The latest round of
virus signatures from McAfee incorrectly identify Armadillo, and hence
HarBal, as a virus.
They are working on the fix

Earle

You can find more information here regarding this issue

http://siliconrealms.com/armadillo_engine.shtml

Earle

Hope you don't mind, I copied your message on my forum too...lotsa Har-Bal users at HRC

Thanks for the update. It looks like the McAfee virus update will be available today to resolve the situation.

SDW

I am glad we all nipped that in the bud immediately. That could of been a disaster. Hopefully the users will be able to reinstall their virus definitions and will be up and running again.


Dan, thanks for alerting the folks at HRC


Earle

Yes I can confirm that HarBal 1.5 instals and works fine after installing the latest McAfee virus definitions. Thanks to HarBal for their extremely fast and effective response, keeping up their usual standard of customer support that should be the benchmark for other vendors.

Thanks too to McAfee, because they resolved the issue in an amazingly short time considering the size of their operation. I reported this to McAfee at the same time as posting the issue on this forum, suggesting that perhaps their definitions were misinterpreting something as a virus when it was not, and would you believe I received an email from a person (that is, a human being!) in less than 8 hours?

Therefore thanks to everyone.

I'm still without. McAfee says I'm current, but still will not let Har-Bal install. I can install if I have disabled McAfee, but as soon as I reactivate then try to open Har-Bal it deletes the exe.

I'll wait for a few days and see if things get better.