"c:\~"
Noticed this file on my computer and opening it in notepad showed that it had things like "main identity contacts" and my outlook settings apparently (names & email addresses) with a bunch of symbols and spaces between the letters.
Did some virus scans but nothing came up, is this a normal file to have?
openmind posted this at 21:20 — 6th September 2004.
He has: 945 posts
Joined: Aug 2001
Not a file I've ever come across before. Have you tried running a virus scanner on your system? Try soft deleting the file (back it up) and see if that has an adverse effect on anything.
AyntRyte posted this at 23:25 — 6th September 2004.
He has: 145 posts
Joined: Jun 2004
I came across this before, so knew what to Google for:
The file appearing on your desktop with the filename ~, commonly known as a tilde, is a backup of your Windows Address Book. It is appearing as a result of the April 2003 Cumulative Patch for Outlook Express (330994). The patch is installed for Outlook Express 5.5 or 6 in response to a vulnerability that could allow an attacker to run code of the attacker’s choice on a user’s machine. To exploit the vulnerability, an attacker would have to be able to cause Windows to open a specially constructed MHTML URL, either on a web site or included in an HTML email message.
Unfortunately, there is a bug in the patch.Whenever you make a change in your Windows Address Book file (*.wab file), Windows makes a backup of this file. Generally this backup is called username.wa~ , however after the patch is installed the backup gets renamed to just ~ instead and saved in the directory where you start your Outlook Express. Most of the time, people start Outlook Express from a shortcut on their desktop, so the backup file gets placed there. This is how the tilde (~) file arrives on your desktop.
You can delete the file. Each time you make a change to your address book, this file will reappear. you can uninstall the patch, this will fix the tilde (~) file from appearing, however you will not be protected from this security vulnerability either.
\\// Robert
The grass is always greener on the other side -- but that's because they use more manure.
openmind posted this at 07:49 — 7th September 2004.
He has: 945 posts
Joined: Aug 2001
Excellent answer Rob.
muddy posted this at 12:05 — 7th September 2004.
He has: 13 posts
Joined: Dec 2000
Thanks guys!
Glad to know it isn't one of those mail sending virus things
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