Virus Alert

I don't usually pass these on as there are so many going around by email it's annoying, but I've been getting infected emails practically 5-10 times a day these past few days, some from people who have contacted me through the site, so I figured some of you might get it as well.

It's a new email virus or worm that sends out messages and file
attachments from the infected system. The SUBJECT, SENDER, and ATTACHMENT may all be different and may be from someone you know. So far, the message is mostly the same.

>Hi! How are you?
>I send you this file in order to have your advice
>See you later. Thanks

If you click on the attachment, you can get infected! The virus will send out mail and attach random files from your PC! It can also delete files on your system.

You can read full information about the virus here:

http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/[email protected]

Thanks for the headsup. I got this email yesterday and again today. I deleted it post haste on suspicion alone. See..being paranoid does have it's benefits:LOL: :LOL: :LOL:

I got 3 of those messages yesterday. But I never open anything from anyone that I dont know and deleted all three right away.

Btw... that site url that Anne has in her post is great for checking out virus warning!! I use it all the time.

Have a nice day everyone!

Meme

Anne,

Thanks for the update! I, like Meme, never open any e-mail from anyone I don't recognize. I have never had a problem and will continue to do so (or not do so).

Donna

Just remember that alot of these new viruses replicate themsleves from the address books on your email.. therefore everyone on you address book would get one and it would look as if you sent it to them.

Just to be on the safest side, make sure you turn off the preview pane in outlook, and get a virus checker that will scan attachments to email, even then though you MUST be carefull, if your virus signatures are not up to date, then it won't show up as a virus...


Ken


Of course the easiest thing to do is just to delete anything with an attachment, weather you know who it's from or not.....

The other best thing is to buy a Macintosh. These hackers never mess with us. It's like trying to sell a snow cone to an Eskimo.

Anne!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am so glad you posted this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I got TWO of those e-mails today!!!! The first time ever, and both were from people I had never heard of...Matt Haran, and Debbie somebody!!!
Since I did not recognize the names, I did not open the attachments....but I replied to them, and both had a valid e-mail address, and asked them who they were, and why they were sending me this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wonder if someone is somehow getting our e-mails through this site, since none of my friends have gotten anything like this...but several of us here have.

This is scary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also Ken.....what is the preview pane? And how can I get a virus scan that will scan attachments on my e-mail?
I have E-Safe, a free download virus scan on my computer....but I am not sure it scans e-mail attachments. Your advice would be much appreciated!!!!! Thanks!

Debby:
The best virus program would be Norton AntiVirus 2001. It does e-mail scanning, and is worth the $24.95. My husband and I use to have McAfee and got rid of it.

I don't think anyone's getting members' emails off the site, as they are not visible (thanks to the forums system). This virus is really catching up quickly. I don't know why it doesn't make headlines yet (probably because it doesn't have a catchy name yet ).

I got an email the other day with an attacment, something.doc.pif. Of course I never open those. I get so many emails like that these days. I think I've gotten 5 this year. I have no idea how these people are gtting my emails. Do they just go to forums and collect people's emails or something?

Anyway I have great virus-protection software which I keep up-to-date. And the mails I receive are always in hotmail or yahoo mail. If someone sends me an infected email through my primary email address which I read through Outlook Express, will the file open automatically, or would I have to open it myself? I always worry about that...

Illusion:

What often happens nowadays is that if one person opens the attachment, the virus itself sends itself to everyone in that person's address book. That was what happened with the Melissa virus. It was worse because the infected email you received had the name of someone you knew as sender.

Actually they always come from email addresses I don't recognize. And by the time I report them to their email provider, the email address has always been deleted, I assume because of other complaints.

There was one time when a gal on a mailing lost I belonged to got a self-spreading virus, but all I got in my inbox was a mail full of weird code.

I use the Norton Works System which has already caught a couple of viruses,including the one from Hahaha..Snow White and the Dwarfs. No,I inadvertently opened that one.

Tigger:

The virus sends itself. After the very first release, when someone opens the attachment by mistake, the virus sends itself to every person in the user's address book. It's not like somebody you know deliberately sent you a virus.

I got 5 of those in my Yahoo mail today alone! And each one was a different attachment. I don't know the person who sent them, and have no clue as to why they would have my address in their address book, so I don't think that that is the case this time.

The two e-mails that I got with virus attachments, that I didn't open, (thank god) I replied to them, and asked them who they were, and why they were sending this to me...but I never got any answer. They could not have had me in their address books, as the names were completely foreign to me.