Something deleted the content in Microsoft Word files and WordPerfectfiles, but left the file names.

[Edward]

Something deleted the content in Microsoft Word files and WordPerfect
files, but left the file names. When I try to open the documents, they
are empty, zero kb. I have a second hard drive in my computer that I
use as a backup, and those files were not affected. So far it appears
that the only files affected are/were in the directory (and
subdirectories) I have designated in Microsoft Word as my document
directory.

I have one file that is password protected, and that file was not
affected. As if a virus could not open the file to delete the contents.

I use Norton Antivirus 2005. I have scanned twice with it, once with
McAfee, and once with AVG. They have not found any viruses.

Any help?

 

[Gabriele Neukam]

On that special day, Edward, ([email protected]) said...

Something deleted the content in Microsoft Word files and WordPerfect
files, but left the file names.

Did it happen on the sixth of march?

http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/[email protected]
tml (one line)


Gabriele Neukam

(e-mail address removed)

 

[Ian Kenefick]

On that special day, Edward, ([email protected]) said...


Did it happen on the sixth of march?

http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/[email protected]

Hmmm - I would have thought NAV 2005 would have detected klez.

 

[Edward]

Thanks, but no, it happened sometime within the last two weeks.

 

[andy smart]

I have one file that is password protected, and that file was not
affected. As if a virus could not open the file to delete the contents.

Or as if a human being could not open the file to delete the contents!
How many other people have physical access to your machine? How many of
them do you trust completely? Have you ever gone off and left your
machine on, unsecured, and out of site somewhere.

Sorry to raise this spectre, but we get a lot of this at the school, and
it's pretty much always x logging in as y (password confidentiality
pretty much passes them by as an idea) and deleting their work. The fact
that your password protected ones, and your 'semi hidden' backups, were
fine sounds like somebody did it.

 

[Edward]

Edward wrote:



Or as if a human being could not open the file to delete the contents!
How many other people have physical access to your machine? How many of
them do you trust completely? Have you ever gone off and left your
machine on, unsecured, and out of site somewhere.

Sorry to raise this spectre, but we get a lot of this at the school, and
it's pretty much always x logging in as y (password confidentiality
pretty much passes them by as an idea) and deleting their work. The fact
that your password protected ones, and your 'semi hidden' backups, were
fine sounds like somebody did it.

Thanks, but no. Just my wife and daughter, and over 1000 files, and
lately, they like me.

 

[andy smart]

Thanks, but no. Just my wife and daughter, and over 1000 files, and
lately, they like me.

OK - sorry but I had to ask :-(

 

[Wfromoz]

Edward a écrit :

Thanks, but no. Just my wife and daughter, and over 1000 files, and
lately, they like me.

I've seen this same thing once - a laptop in Barcelona - lost all .doc
files in this way including unbacked doctoral thesis papers. I still
don't know what caused it. Tho some were corrupted & then deleted -
unrecoverable/unfixable. I'd be interested to know if anyone's come
across a culprit & solution.