Re: Can dialer viruses turn on the computer?

From: Martin, VK2UMJ (vk2umj_at_yahoo.invalid)
Date: 03/26/05 

Date: Sun, 27 Mar 2005 08:26:30 +1000

"Unruh" <unruh-spam@physics.ubc.ca> wrote in message
news:d24mf3$93q$1@nntp.itservices.ubc.ca...
> "Norman L. DeForest" <af380@chebucto.ns.ca> writes:
>
>
>>On Sat, 26 Mar 2005, David H. Lipman wrote:
>>> From: "Cautious Nerd" <Cautious@Nerds.com>
>>>
>>> | Our home phone service provider advised a friend to always disconnect
>>> | the phone line from the PC. The friend was apparently told that if
>>> one gets a
>>> | dialer virus/trojan, it can act even with the computer turned off. I
>>> | have a hard time seeing this. Is this just a case of
>>> | "miscommunafication"?
>
> Sounds like it. However, the next time he turns it on, the virus could
> immediately dial out.
>
>>> A "magic Packet" can be sent to the Network Interface Card (not Dial-Up)
>>> and a computer can
>>> be powered-up. This can be prevented by using a Cable/DSL Router on a
>>> Broadband Internet
>>> connection.
>
> Depends. Some computers have a "wake on ..." like wake on lan. feature,
> which can turn them on. But that has to come from outside.
> Note that the Cable/Router is precisely attached to the lan and thus could
> be used to turn it on. I do not know of any systems which have a "wake on
> modem" feature, not least because I do not know of motherboards which have
> modems built in.

Mine does, apparently! When I first got it the PC would keep switching
its-self back on at odd times. Turns out it was the modem detecting spikes
on the phone line and triggering a power-up. A change in the BIOS settings
(or unplug the modem) solved the problem...

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