Viral Virus Alert!

"The modus operandi was to send a pop-up on people's systems using a fake Microsoft logo."
Ajay Pal Sharma, senior police superintendent, Gautam Budh Nagar suburb, Delhi

"The success of the legitimate industry [call centers in India] has made it easier for the illegitimate industry [to operate and appear genuine]."
Courtney Gregoire, assistant general counsel, Microsoft digital crimes unit

Researchers at Stony Brook University in New York State published a study of tech-support scams last year, estimating in their summation that a 142-web-domain pop-up campaign succeeded in enriching its participants by ten million dollars in the space of two months of operation. It was, according to Najmeh Miramirkhani, the paper's lead author, a complex network of entities, some of whom made their own calls while others outsourced calls to India: "This is an organized crime."

A computer user clicks on the 'wrong' site and suddenly they face a frozen screen, sometimes appearing glaring red with an alarming message that Microsoft Windows has detected a nasty virus and is isolating it, waiting to hear from you. The message warns, do nothing other than call Microsoft directly at the telephone number that appears on the screen. Do.not.shut.off.your.computer, it also warns. You call that number and a sympathetic, professional at Microsoft confirms that your computer has been blocked.

However, the person you're speaking to explains that it can be unblocked, once again giving you access to all you hold dear and depend upon. All you have to do to get the gears going is provide them with the authorization to unblock your computer which can be done through purchase of services. It's up to you, dear computer-owner; want your computer back? ... Microsoft is offering a package of services; chose one of several, ranging in cost from $99 to $1,000 for the deluxe service and the problem is fixed.

If the suspicion crosses your mind that this doesn't sound like Microsoft, well you're right. It doesn't and it isn't, and you're being had. Shut down your computer, and it'll have to be an 'illegal' shut-down because remember, everything is frozen. Microsoft will indeed do the rest. The system will evaluate itself and automate Microsoft's protective services to eliminate the threat and restore your system. Panic gone. All's right with the world. You've done the right thing.

Many, however have not. The scam works among many who allow themselves to be completely fazed and discombobulated by this surprise; a wholly unexpected intrusion into the inner sanctum of their computer. The alert that appeared so genuine wasn't, but you have the 'proof' in your disabled computer and the panic-anxiety that leads you to agree to their terms that will restore it to you -- and you've been successfully victimized.

One in five recipients of that viral threat will fall victim to a fake tech-support center while six percent among them will end up paying the extortion to "fix" the problem that really doesn't exist, as far as a recent consumer survey undertaken by Microsoft attests. Microsoft receives about 11,000 complaints about the scams monthly. Its own Internet monitors spot some 150,000 pop-up ads for the services on a daily basis.

Working with Microsoft, law enforcement authorities traced many of these boiler room enterprises to New Delhi, the capital of India where last month police from two Delhi suburbs raided sixteen fake tech-support centers, arresting over 30 people. In similar raids on ten call centers, authorities arrested another 24 people back in October. Fifty police officers swooped down on eight centers on November 28 in one of those suburbs where scammers had extracted money from thousands, mostly Americans and Canadians.

Posing as a Microsoft employee, an operator responding to a victim's contacting the call center would inform the caller their system had been hacked or attacked by a virus, most unfortunately. That's when the package of services to solve the problem would be proffered. U.S. authorities have busted similar scams in the United States, but the majority of such illicit centers come out of India reflecting the country's experience in operating many of the world's call centers where about 1.2 million people are employed generating about $28-billion in annual revenues.

Giving Harbour to Potential Brain-Killers : Child to Adult

"These viruses are probably significant players in driving the immune system in Alzheimer's. I think they're like gas on the flames of some pathology that may be immune-driven."
"The viruses have a direct sort of push-pull with lots of known Alzheimer's genes."
"I don't think we can answer whether herpes viruses are a primary cause of Alzheimer's disease. But what's clear is that they're perturbing networks and participating in networks that directly accelerate the brain towards the Alzheimer's topology,"
"It's very unpopular [the viral link to Alzheimer's theory]. I'm sure there's a lot of people who are secretly unhappy about it." 
"[Alzheimer's researchers] come up to me at conferences and say in hushed tones, 'Oh, I also have a data set that shows viruses but I'm afraid to publish it."
Joel Dudley, professor, Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai, New York

"This definitely brings up the potential role of infection or infectious particles in the pathology of Alzheimer's."
"It's a very complex disease, and the answer's [to its onset and possible treatment] not going to be one thing."
Dr. John Morris, Alzheimer's expert, Washington University School of Medicine, St.Louis, Missouri

Credit: Shutterstock

The hypothesis that a virus may be implicated in the onset of Alzheimer's is a hoary old one that many if not most scientists specializing in the treatment of Alzheimer's dismiss out of hand. The authors of a new research paper published in the journal Neuron were among those doubters and obviously no longer are since they've given their professional imprimatur to that theory through their research conclusions and the paper that arose from them.

Compelling evidence that viruses may be involved in Alzheimer's -- in particular two types of herpes infections known to infect infants and then to lie dormant for years.

Through their research, the scientists discovered the viruses interact with Alzheimer's linked genes; that fact alone serves to support the idea that they may indeed play a significant role in how that dread brain disease develops and steadily progresses in severity, leading to death. The study's authors took pains to point out that no firm evidence yet exists that these viruses do cause Alzheimer's; theirs is a scientifically educated thesis.

Another study soon to see publication supports their initial conclusion by suggesting the role viruses may play in kick-starting an immune response whose purpose might result in increasing an accumulation of amyloid, a protein present in human brains which has a tendency to clump into Alzheimer's plaques. If these theories are ultimately proven by further research to be correct, there is hope they may lead toward treatments and possibly even new methods of screening for Alzheimer's.

The study presented the most authoritative evidence yet for a viral role in the onset of Alzheimer's. To reach their conclusion, close to 950 human brain samples located in four different brain banks were analyzed, resulting in links discovered to the genetic, molecular and clinical symptoms of Alzheimer's. Those rejecting the theory outright raise questions of their own, such as the possibility that the viruses discovered in significant numbers in Alzheimer's brains might be 'innocent bystanders'.

Several circular herpes virus particles are seen near a cell membrane. Roseola herpes virus causes a childhood illness marked by skin rashes and now has been found in brains with Alzheimer's disease.  NCI/Science Source

Two neuroscientists at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard University have been responsible for advancing the viral/Alzheimer's links for years, and Drs. Rudolph Tanzi and Robert Moir are preparing to issue new findings of their own. New experiments of theirs performed in mice and three-dimensional brain cells in a petri dish discovered the same herpes species to ignite a protective reaction in amyloid which Dr. Tanzi describes as "seeding" the amyloid, leading it to ensnare the virus in fibrous nets, forming plaques.

According to these findings, viruses and other microbes represent the advance to the theory that Alzheimer's is caused by amyloid accumulation which the brain is helpless to clear away. Alzheimer's which increasingly afflicts greater numbers of mostly elderly people, has up to the present resisted all drugs tested in hundreds of clinical trials.

Dr. Dudley and his colleagues created computer models to map the molecular and genetic networks to disrupt the progress of Alzheimer's.

Simply put, these particular herpes species are able to enter brain cells. Two areas of the brain particularly damaged in Alzheimer's demonstrate the process of genes susceptible to harm from herpes viruses invading their precincts. The same genes found to be active in Alzheimer's pathology evidently become active also in fighting viruses.

Brain scan of a patient with Alzheimer’s disease. Photograph: BSIP/UIG via Getty Images

On Alert to Evade the Tiger Mosquito in France

"Despite storms and rain, people in 30 departments across the south are being urged to look out for the pests which can transmit the Zika virus, as well as other diseases such as Yellow Fever, Dengue Fever, and Chikungunya."
"The species – originally of Asian origin – is well-established in Provence-Alpes-Côtes d’Azur and Midi-Pyrénées-Languedoc-Roussillon, as well as the Vendée, Haut-Rhin, Bas-Rhin and Val-de-Marne."
"So far this year there have been no reports of any tiger mosquitoes in France or any outbreaks of the diseases they can carry but the Health Ministry has issued a yellow alert and has set up a site where the public can record sightings at: www.signalement-moustique.fr"
"Anyone contracting any of the viruses transmitted by the tiger mosquito must report it to the health authorities via their doctor and people are also being asked not to leave stagnant water outside, such as water in saucers under flowerpots, as this provides breeding grounds for mosquitoes."
"The species has been spreading in France since 2004 and has now been seen across the south of the country as well as in Vendée, Haut-Rhin, Bas-Rhin and Val-de-Marne."
The Connexion, French News and Views, May 2, 2018

Tiger mosquitoes with black and white striped body and legs, can carry the Zika and dengue viruses. AFP Photo/EID Mediterranee

France reported more than half of the 2,133 cases of Zika infection in the European Union. Between June 2015 and March 2017, 1,141 Zika infection cases were reported in France. Notoriously, in pregnant women, the Zika virus has the potential of spreading to the fetus to cause severe birth defects like microcephaly, impeding brain development. Zika can be transmitted by mosquitoes or spread sexually.

Dengue fever and Zika have similar symptoms that can most often be mild so that healthy adults though infected may present with no symptoms whatever. For babies there is an altogether different story. If infected they are born with abnormally small heads while the neurological disorder may lead to an early death. Among all European countries France was affected most seriously by the Zika epidemic that hit South and North America in 2015 and 2016.

The aggressive tiger mosquitoes known to carry viruses such as Zika, Dengue and Chikungunya have now spread over half of France, leading authorities to warn the population, particularly those planning to travel on vacation to areas that the invasive insects are known to habituate themselves to; to make use of repellents. Originating in Asia, the insect is recognized by its black-and-white striped body and legs.

The South of France constantly reveals delightful surprises. Sète's canals have earned it the nickname of the "Little Venice" of France.

The south of France, famous the world over for its sunny atmosphere and sandy beaches now plays host as well, to these striped mosquitoes. As does the centre of the country, the southern Paris suburbs and pockets of the north of the country. The presence of the mosquitoes is known to have doubled in the past two years in the identified areas of infection. Of 86 departments (electoral areas or cantons) in France, 42 are now affected.

People are being urged by France's public health authority to be watchful for the presence of the mosquitoes between May and November, to "drain away stagnant water, where mosquitoes can reproduce, around homes". On the French island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean, tiger mosquitoes are responsible for having propagated an epidemic of Dengue fever, leading to fears among health authorities that returning vacationers could conceivably carry the virus to mainland France.

There may be no better way to spend a day than soaking in the Mediterranean sun in the South of France, and have frosty drinks and lunch delivered to your chaise lounge - with an average of 320 days of sunshine per year.

In southern France in 2014 and 2015, 18 cases of locally transmitted Dengue Fever were recorded, and 17 of Chikungunya on the Riviera last year. Making those world-famous vacation spots for the trendy and the financially care-free somewhat less inviting than how they have traditionally been regarded. Most who contract the virus, however, can expect to be inconvenienced by symptoms of Dengue and Chikingunya that include severe joint pain, fever, headaches, weeping eyes and a rash.

Tiger mosquitoes have spread across France

I, Virus

"Unimpeded by friction with the surface of the Earth, you can travel great distances, and so intercontinental travel is quite easy [for viruses]."
"It wouldn't be unusual to find things swept up in Africa being deposited in North America."
"If you could weigh all the living material in the oceans, 95 percent of it is stuff you can't see, and they are responsible for supplying half the oxygen on the planet."
"Viruses aren't our enemies. Certain nasty viruses can make you sick, but it's important to recognize that viruses and other microbes out there are absolutely integral for the eco-system."
Curtis Suttle, marine virologist, University of British Columbia

"Viruses modulate the function and evolution of all living things."
"But to what extent remains a mystery."
Matthew B. Sullivan, Ohio State
Joshua Weitz, Georgia Tech
Steven W. Wilhelm, University of Tennessee

Viruses and bacteria fall back to Earth via dust storms and precipitation. Saharan dust intrusions from North Africa and rains from the Atlantic.  Credit: NASA Visible Earth

More commonly the general layperson knows viruses as an inimical presence to human health. Scientists, however, are learning more about them all the time. Three of whom last year recommended a vigorous new initiative be undertaken to focus on their presence, to enable a greater understanding of viral ecology. Recognized as the elite predators of the world of microbes they cannot reproduce and are co-dependent on a host. When they attach to a host they take over cells and this process is called 'infection'.

This enables the virus to replicate, injecting its own DNA into the host and in the process those alien virus genes become useful to the host, resulting in their becoming an integral part of the host's genome. Research has progressed; recent research identified an ancient virus that at one time inserted its DNA into the genomes of four-limbed animals, the ancestors of homo sapiens. That minuscule part of the genetic code, the ARC, forms part of the nervous system of modern humans playing a vital role in human consciousness; nerve communication, memory formation and higher-order cognition.

Scientists estimate that between 40 to 80 percent of the human genome may have graduated from primitive viral invasions. Understanding the function and ecology of viruses and their prey will eventually enable better understanding of the role they play in the world's ecosystems, so research is geared at factoring their presence into an understanding of a formidable connection in how the world works.

In Spain's Sierra Nevada mountains, a team of international researchers set out to retrieve viruses falling from the sky, placing four buckets in position to gather any possible samples, the thought being that a stream of viruses circle the planet above our weather systems, below the level of height achieved by airplanes. This is an entirely new realm of scientific study. The team of scientists was amazed to collect around 800 million viruses falling on each square metre of Earth, surpassing expectations entirely in a magnitude never imagined.

It has been hypothesized that most of the viruses cascading down onto the Globe, are swept into the air by sea spray, with some of their numbers scattering in dust storms. Dr. Suttle and his team's findings were published in the International Society of Microbial Ecology Journal, the first to actually count the numbers falling to Earth, representing the virosphere. These viruses are held to originate on the planet but become upwardly swept. On the other hand, some researchers hold to the theory they may originate in the atmosphere.

And though viruses equate in most peoples' minds with illnesses like influenza-onset, as infectious agents inimical to people's health, as the most abundant organisms on the planet alongside bacteria, they are essential to existence in countless measure, from our immune system to our gut microbiome, to land and sea ecosystems, climate regulation and species' evolution, all aided by the vast array of unknown genes contained in viruses, spreading and inserting them in other species.

Dr. Suttle's laboratory experiments included filtering viruses out of seawater, leaving behind bacteria. With the viruses absent, plankton present in the water failed to grow, since microbes were not present to liberate nutrients in the organisms they infect. By altering the composition of microbial communities, viruses assist in the balance of ecosystems. A virus attacks algae as it spreads in toxic blooms in the ocean, causing it to explode and die, effectively putting an end to the outbreak.

Credit: CC0 Public Domain     Viruses are the most abundant and the least understood entities on Earth. They might also exist in space, but as of yet scientists have done almost no research into this possibility.

Viruses are the most abundant and one of the least understood biological entities on Earth. They might also exist in space, but as of yet scientists have done almost no research into this possibility.

Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2018-01-viruses-space.html#jCp

But while viruses have an undeniably positive impact, they can also become invasively injurious to species, causing changes and leading to extinction. When West Nile virus altered the composition of bird communities, crows died while ravens thrived. Mosquito-borne avipoxvirus spreads into the mountains of Hawaiian forests, once too cold for mosquitoes to thrive.

An example of species' extinction occurred when a viral disease called rinderpest arose when the Italian army brought along a few head of cattle to North Africa in 1887 and the virus spread across the Continent, killing cloven-hoofed animals from Eritrea to South Africa, wiping out 95 percent of herds in some instances. "It infected antelope, it infected wildebeest and other large grazers across the whole ecosystem", explained Peter Daszak, president of Ecohealth Alliance.

Drought exacerbated the situation, the result being that large numbers of people died of starvation in lock-step with the spread of rinderpest killing the animals they depended upon as a food source. Two thirds of the Masai people who depended on cattle, died in 1891. An intensive round of vaccinations helped to completely wipe out rinderpest, in Africa and globally by 2011.

Berliner et al review current virology research pertinent to astrobiology and propose ideas for future astrovirology research foci. Image credit: Arek Socha / FL.