Pretoria overwrites the first 879 bytes of infected files with itself, and stores the original 879 bytes at the end of the file. This makes it impossible to fully restore programs shorter than 879 bytes, as their original length is not stored anywhere.
When an infected program is executed, the virus searches the entire current directory for .COM files to infect. As it uses a full-depth recursive directory search, this may take considerable time on an XT-class machine.
On June 16th the execution of an infected file will cause all entries in the root directory to be changed to 'ZAPPED'. June 16th is the day when the Soweto riots first broke out.
The virus uses a simple substitution encryption.
Based on the settings of your F-Secure security product, it will either move the file to the quarantine where it cannot spread or cause harm, or remove it.
A False Positive is when a file is incorrectly detected as harmful, usually because its code or behavior resembles known harmful programs. A False Positive will usually be fixed in a subsequent database update without any action needed on your part. If you wish, you may also:
Check for the latest database updates
First check if your F-Secure security program is using the latest updates, then try scanning the file again.
Submit a sample
After checking, if you still believe the file is incorrectly detected, you can submit a sample of it for re-analysis.
Note: If the file was moved to quarantine, you need to collect the file from quarantine before you can submit it.
Exclude a file from further scanning
If you are certain that the file is safe and want to continue using it, you can exclude it from further scanning by the F-Secure security product.
Note: You need administrative rights to change the settings.
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