I've been getting several infected emails a day lately - addressed to Webmaster@LightHouseKeepers.com.

I don't recognize the senders and the subject lines have nothing to do with subjects I might be interested in.

If you don't have a virus protection checking your email when it arrives and when you send it, better get it soon.

Norton has a good one that can be set to automatically update the virus list periodically.

Backed up lately?

A good reminder John! With all the Forum members who have experienced a disk drive crash or an email virus, this should be part of everyone's weekly ritual. There are new virus updates weekly. By now you've all got a free virus protection with your last computer. Please keep up with the updates. You can subscribe as John says to the updates. McAffee and Norton's are the most popular. My office virus protection was last updated 4/17/2002!

[This message has been edited by rscroope (edited 04-22-2002).]

It seems the number of emails arriving with viruses is on the rise - several a day now. Most are addressed to either Webmaster@HarbourLights.com or Webmaster@LighthouseKeepers.com. Anyone else seeing more virus attachments to email lately?

Yep. I've been getting them at work every day this week. Got a couple at home, too. They are more of annoyance than anything else.




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Diane

I have Norton and they have been sending automatic updates daily this week.

Updated again today - 4/25.

I'm getting about 5 or so virus infected e-mails a day too. I participate in a photo site quite frequently, www.shuttercity.com and a lot of the viruses are coming from people that I know on that site. The virus in question is one that mails itself out to everyone in the Outlook address book on the infected computer. Not much fun, but Norton is catching them. The Symantec.com website has a cleaning program that you can download and run to get rid of an infection if you have one.

Good luck and take John's advice... get a virus protection program that you can update regularly if you don't already have one!

Gary

You guys must be more popular than me. I haven't received an email virus in a very long time. Maybe it's because I don't use Microsoft Outlook to send and receive mail. I also don't open any mail that I don't recognize the sending address.

Bob

Hi guys,

I'm using my brothers computer because mine has been infected by a worm virus. Right now I'm still receiving about 40 emails a day that are infected. Unfortunately my antivirus program was infected and it caused the worm to spread.

If anyone received an email from me, I apologise. I won't be sending any emails until my computer is cleaned. I'll post here.

Thanks, Judy

I concur John. I receive a few every week or so. I also received one from a forum member the other day. An anti-virus program is a worthwile investment. You can pickup some good software like Norton for only $30.00 or so.

I heard yesterday that there is a new virus. You don't have to open a file within e-mail to be infected with this new strain. Even if you get e-mail from someone you know, you can still get infected, if they are. Once you do, you're hosed.

Tim - Keeping the flame lit...

I don't use Outlook, either... plus I use a Mac and guess what, well over 95 % of all viruses don't affect a Mac.... It just doesn't get any better than that!!!!

Bob,

Don't even think this saves you. I would venture a guess that the majority of infected emails received come from someone you know whose computer has been infected. Remember how many of these nasty little things circulate? They forward themselves to everyone in the address book of the computer they just infected. So, odds are it will come from someone you know and whose address you recognize.

Buy the $30 anti-virus software. I was using Macafee and have switched to Norton. I am very pleased with it som far. I have it set to check for updates every time I am online, and it updates 3-4 times a week it seems. Very cheap price for the protection provided.

Dave

I have a feeling I allowed myself to become infected. If you have received email from Webmaster@HarbourLights.com or Webmaster@LighthouseKeepers.com with strange subjects, delete them.

I just updated Norton online and will run a scan.

John

I have Norton and I use Eudora for my mail. It seems that Outlook is hit a lot so I don't have it installed. My virus list is old so I will update to be safe.

Chuck

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bigdragon

Outlook is the most widely used (free with Windows) and therefore the biggest target for those who wish to casue havoc. In the 2 years I've been using Eudora, have had only three virus's and Norton caught them.

I ran an update on Norton and scanned my PC last night - no viruses found.

I believe what is happening is that the senders' email addresses are being 'hi-jacked' -- that the apparent senders are not the real sender. I emailed one person "nitesentinel@aol.com" that I had received two infected emails from her in one day. She replied that she had never sent me an email and that no such email appeared in her 'sent items' folder.

In fact, she reported that she subsequently received an infected email from my email address -- with an odd subject. I did not send such a message to her.

Art Seaman questioned an email apparently sent from me with the subject "Ismap border". I sent no such message.

My advice - don't respond to any email that is reported as infected. Quarantine it remove it and delete the email message.

Yes, Outlook is a target of hackers -- because it is so widely used. (And perhaps because it is a product of Microsoft - a favorite target.)


[This message has been edited by JChidester (edited 04-28-2002).]

I finally got my first e-mail virus, which was caught and disposed of by my Norton anti-virus program. This seems to be a problem mostly found in IE and outlook users.
A local writer in the Syracuse Post Standard recently wrote this article: http://www.twcny.rr.com/technofile/texts/bit042402.html
Like everyone has said-use a very good virus program everyday.
Jim
Johnson

I like the way this guy talks, Jim....



Maybe I should up my 95% figure to almost all viruses don't affect a Mac! There are a few but most are caused by corrupt files not hackers. I can't remember ever finding a virus on one of my many Macs over the years.

After Tim (Torchbearer) e-mailed me the other night that he received an e-mail from with a virus attached (and I hadn't sent him an e-mail), I ran another full systems check on this computer (Norton Anti-Virus 2002) and it still reported nothing there. Last night in addition, I went to the Symantec website and downloaded the removal tool -- just to be sure and there is still nothing of any virus or worm on this computer. I did get a couple e-mails today but Norton stopped them before they could do any danger and they were quarantined. I did get an apology from 1 person who seemed to think she might have forwarded an e-mail with a virus attached to it, but as I told her Norton stops them.




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Terry (Only my mother, brothers & sisters call me Teresa) Forrest

I was talking with one of our IS guys today regarding the new viruses out there. First, you don't have to have an attached file in e-mail to get infected. All you have to do is open e-mail from anyone who is infected. This includes receiving e-mail from people you know. Second, he recommends upgrading your anti-virus software via on-line upgrades at least twice a week. Good luck everyone and keep it clean!

Tim - Keeping the flame lit...

Terry... out of curiosity, have you done a live upgrade withing the past three days or so? If not, then you and everyone else who have not done so need to. Both Norton and McAfee have reported anywhere from 3 to 5 upgrades daily since last week. On Friday (the 26th) they had 4 upgrades alone.

Tim - Keeping the flame lit...

I've got Norton running on my machines here and am getting virus upgrades on a very regular basis. Cheap insurance to be sure!

Gary

It's been a month since I started this thread and the worms and viruses just keep on a-comin'

14 pieces of junk email this morning - 5 of them infected.

You better be protected, some of these things are clever, some aren't.

Clever ones look like email from "Postmaster@Lighthousekeepers.com" -- they ain't. Others entice you with "Windows XP Patch" or "Congratulations! You've won $30.00" or "W32.Klez.E removal tools" or "Applebees Gift Certificate". All of these were infected upon arrival and caught by Norton Anti-virus.

Dumb ones have subject lines that indicate that for the sender, English is a second language.

We need better tracking tools to ID these low-lifes and put their pictures and MO's on "America's Most Wanted".

Just the sorting out the 'real' emails from the ads, unsolicited, and infected ones must waste millions of person-hours a day.


[This message has been edited by JChidester (edited 05-22-2002).]

[This message has been edited by JChidester (edited 05-22-2002).]

[This message has been edited by JChidester (edited 05-22-2002).]

I now have a new computer and use Norton as my virus detector. The second day I was using it it stopped 3 infected e-mails. I have already down loaded 5 updates and plan to check daily for any new updates. As has been said, it is cheap insurance against viruses.
Dale

Yeah my Virus Detector, caught an infected email today. First one I have seen in a while.

Here's something to remember when you get that friendly warning from someone you know or don't know about the latest virus.

Always check with your antivirus site or go to www.sarc.com and do a search.

It may save you alot of time and effort. Quite often it is a hoax.

I got an email today about a virus went to check at sarc and found it was a hoax and that if you followed the instructions you would have deleted a file needed to use Java properly.

It was actually mentioned in a story in the USA Today today dealing with computer security.

It's best to be safe on all fronts- have that anitvirus program running, update it and always check before you follow directions about viruses.

Dennis

In the past 30 days - 82 attempted email infections - all the same W32, etc.

We have an option on the login page for our campus portal at UW that lets people send us feedback, comments, suggestions, etc. Those come to my mailbox. I'm seeing ~10+ infested e-mails every day.

While you've a mind on security for e-mail, consider your browser too. Interent Explorer - another MS product - is fraught with vulnerabilities. Check here for an MS update: Q321232: Security Update

And while you're thinking about security... what's up with all those Web sites that are tracking where you go? A different kind of virus. Take a look at Ad-Aware . It's free! I run this puppy daily. Check it out - you might be surprised.

T
[This message has been edited by JTimothyA (edited 05-25-2002).]

I agree with Mr. Brady.

quote: Third, consider an alternative to Windows. There are nearly 70,000 active Windows viruses, and none of them have any effect on an Apple Macintosh or on a Linux PC. Those are the two main alternatives. (And the Mac is easy to use and has its own version of Microsoft Office.)

I've been using a Mac since 1984 for its ease of graphics and adding foreign language accents. Every once in awhile I get garbled messages from friends with Windows. I delete the trash and learn that on their end the message caused serious damage to their operating system. The same goes for stolen credit card info--Windows is far more susceptible to security breaches of all kinds. If there's Windows software I have to have, such as the Greenbook Harbour Lights Software, I just run Virtual PC on my Mac. Scott

The infected email just keeps on coming. Now the virus has a new twist. It seems to 'hijack' an email address from the address book on the infected computer and then sends out emails to individuals in that address book using the hijacked address as the bogus sender. Yesterday, I got a call from the mother of someone Chris goes to school with.

She received an email from me that she wasn't expecting and wondered if I had sent her anything. I didn't even have their email address! But I am on an email list with a group of about 10 parents at this school. My theory is that one of those 10 PCs is infected, picked my email address off that computers email address book and sent the message to others in that address book as if it was from me.

This morning, I got four infected emails - two were from "webmaster@lighthousekeepers.com" and "postmaster@lighthousekeepers.com". The latter purports to be about an undeliverable mail -- but to an address I don't have in my address book.

So what choices do I have?

1. Why can't my ISP filter these emails for viruses before sending them to my email box?

2. Would using a program other than Outlook prevent the possible infections? (But then while the viruses might not infect my computer, I'd still get the email, right?) My ISP says it only provides tech support for Outlook Express.

3. What is being done to track down the originators of these email viruses and punish them for the stolen time and any damages that may be caused by the infectiosn?

I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!


[This message has been edited by JChidester (edited 05-31-2002).]

[This message has been edited by JChidester (edited 05-31-2002).]

Have you noticed more emails where your on-line name is part of the Subject line?

It's an effort to get past ISP filters that may block messages that are sent to the many email addresses at the same time. Adding your name makes each subject line different.

Some ISPs filter messages based on key words in the subject line. I sent a message to JTA with the Subject "How to sell..." and he never got it.

Have you had emails where in subject line the L E T T E R S . A R E . S P A C E D . O U T? with the extra spaces, the subject line can't be 'read' and thus keywords that might cause that email to be rejected by an ISP filtering program won't work.

Do you get emails with a long number or random letter series - usually near the end of the subject line? These are encoding numbers to show the sender which list you came from should you reply. This helps them decide which lists are better than others.

Is bulk emailing working for these senders? I think in my years on the Internet, I've actually responded to a blindly sent email ONCE (not counting follow up mailings from places I've done business with like Amazon.com.)

In direct mail (traditional), a response rate of 2-3% is considered good. Consider the cost of developing the mailing, printing it, addressing it and the postage.

Now consider the cost of an email blitz. The cost to buy the list? $500 or less?

If an emailer gets one-half of one percent, they would probably be very pleased. If they send out 10 million emails, that would mean 50,000 potential suckers - I mean buyers.

[This message has been edited by JChidester (edited 05-31-2002).]

[This message has been edited by JChidester (edited 05-31-2002).]

[This message has been edited by JChidester (edited 05-31-2002).]

I've gotten ton of these over the past few months. I never open them because I consider them to be "junk mail."

Lately, I've been getting a ton of email (to only one of my aol accounts)where the subject heading is just a long list of random numbers, letters and symbols. I immediately delete those emails. I figure its either more junk mail or a virus.

Unfortunately, my office uses Outlook for email. I no longer use the preview pane for messages. Since I am the person who goes through the email every morning, I have told my boss that if there is anything in the inbox that I think is the least bit suspect, I will not open it. Nevertheless in April I got three viruses within one week. What a mess. I was able to contain it fairly quickly. I also deleted all the names out of Outlook's address book, which seems to keep it from spreading.

It is such an annoyance. I just don't understand why someone would go to the trouble to create a virus in the first place.




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Diane

Ihave both Netscape4.7 and IE installed on my system. The netscape is the one my e mail comes through. Does anyone no how I turn of the preview page option so that all I see is the senders title and name? We use Outlook at work and I shut off the preview but can't seem to find the switch in Netscape.

Hank

Just received an email with the W32. virus included.

States:

Fwd. Harbour Lights....
in subject line: Japanese lass' sexy pictures

WHAT????????????????????

I've said it before, if you want to eliminate about 95% of the virus's from attacking your system, just change your email program FROM OUTLOOK ( for generators of virus's Outlook is the bullseye since so many use it, so they target Outlook) to almost anything else. It doesn't eliminate them, but it sure cuts down on them. I strongly reccommend NORTON AV. In the last 18 months with EUDORA for emial and NAV, I've only received ~5 virus's and NAV caught them all!!

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Seems like another rash of the W32 virus and related forms is going around again. I've had about 4 or 5 infected e-mails since last Friday, all from people I don't know. Norton AV picked up and quarantied all of them but what a pain.

Gary

I found out yesterday my IPS has a virus protection system going. They notified me I received an infected emails from dhannum@verizon.net and service@adultprovide.com figure this one. I figured the first was from David H and sent a note back to that address and it was returned as undeliverable mail. The second comes from I don't know who. My IPS stopped both of these and deleted them to prevent an infection. Very aggressive! Good show and I sleep even better knowing this. Then they sent a note what they had done and the address the email was from so I could contact the person who sent the mail . Does anyone else have an IPS that looks for virus infections?

Chuck

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bigdragon

As I have told Chuck, it appears I have been victimized the same way John was. That is not my email address, plus my email is scanned coming in and going out. Would appear I got picked at random out of someones address book that also has Chuck in it (he isn't in my address book...)

For years I received almost no virus infected mail, I didn't even get junk mail. The past month I get several per week, sometimes 4-5 per day.

Folks, it pays to keep your anti-virus software updated and active as has been demonstrated here!

Dave

Wow sorry to hear about all the virus problems you guys are having. I started using hotmail as my email checker. It scans any attachments w/ Mcafee before you download it. Then the virus scanner you have on your machine scans it again when you download. I don't know I get some comfort from a double scan.

Mine has been checking too, I guess. Have received messages back from my ISP saying I've sent infected email to people (addresses) I don't even know, not forum people. Wierd. I don't use an address book and my son verified that my pc's virus program is working properly.

Ahhhhh, Dave I'm hurt "not in your address book."

Chuck lol

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bigdragon

[This message has been edited by shiulong (edited 06-23-2002).]

Ahhh but you're in mine, Chuck!

Gary