[pscates2.0]

First off, I don't go around spreading my e-mail everywhere. The few times I do give it, it's with supposed legit companies who make it a point of saying they're not going to give it out (software, Adobe, Apple, etc.).

The past month, I've just been getting these occasional weird-ass e-mails, reading as though I'd tried to send someone something and it didn't make it. I NEVER used to get crap like this. I've had my .Mac e-mail for over two years now, and it's just legit stuff all that time (friends, family, etc.).

This morning, I had FIVE idiot ones. And three had attachments (.exe). They're addressed to me, but I don't know or recognize the sender, so I trashed them.

Do you think my e-mail is caught in a some loop - due to one of those viruses - and I'm getting stuff from people I don't know because my e-mail is in someone else's address book?

I know what spam looks like, but these aren't things for bigger wangs, refinancing, gangbang amateurs, etc. These look like regular, non-mass-mailed e-mails, directly to me.

[Ryan]

I haven't gotten anything weird on my account, and I post it all over the internet.

[noleli2]

I'd say that a Windows/Outlook-using friend of yours got a virus that is self-propogating, and you happen to be in the infectee's address book. Just be glad you have a Mac and can't be infected yourself.

[HOM]

Originally Posted by noleli2 I'd say that a Windows/Outlook-using friend of yours got a virus that is self-propogating, and you happen to be in the infectee's address book. Just be glad you have a Mac and can't be infected yourself.

DING DING DING

pscates, if you run the Dot Mac Virus program I'm sure it will flag these email attachments as viruses. Then if you know the person, call them and tell them that they have a virus.

[Wickers]

I have been getting these too with my yahoo account.

the addresses it shows for the sender is not the real sender.

It' just a worm that has infected a win box. It sends out itself via email to every address found on the infected box.

Most of the junk I get has the NetSki worm. It hit a friends computer and I am tracking down who has it box by box.

[Windswept]

I just got a weird commercial-type email 15 minutes ago. I didn't open it, but reported it as spam.

You don't suppose our confidential email addresses from "the other place" have been released to internet advertisers, do you?

I am VERY careful about my email address; so I can't help wondering if that might have happened. Hope not.

[low-fi]

Count me in on those emails too. They are annoying as hell. 6 today! Might try and find the friend the virus via the headers. Mmm, sounds like tuesday's project!!

[DMBand0026]

I got my first piece of spam in weeks today. But I don't have a .mac account. It's possible that they released our addresses, and I would not be happy about that.

[Wickers]

Your addresses did not get 'released'...

Like I said... It's an infected Windows box somewhere on the net. The worm sends out spam with itself in an attachment to every email address found locally, which in turn infects other Windows boxes and starts the process again.

Stop worrying.
The reason it gets past your email filter is because it comes from trusted email addresses. (but it's return address is changed to something else, normally another email address on the infected box)

It's a worm, it infects Windows boxes. It bothers everyone, windows or not.

[crazychester]

Originally Posted by Carol You don't suppose our confidential email addresses from "the other place" have been released to internet advertisers, do you?

No, no no, no, no. For all the bad behaviour of late nobody would do that.

Oh OK. Maybe you guys would but not .com.

[Hit me with your bad reputation stick HIT ME! HIT ME! I wanna be infamous in these parts or whatever that stupid line says. ]

[feend]

Originally Posted by HOM if you run the Dot Mac Virus program I'm sure it will flag these email attachments as viruses. Then if you know the person, call them and tell them that they have a virus.

Someone else already mention this but, don't do this!

I'm almost certain that the weird emails pscates is getting are either viruses or automated spam catchers doing exactly what you propose and returning virus emails to the sender. But since pscates's in both cases email address has been spoofed, rather than using the real virus infectee's, pscates's getting nuisance junk mail and if he replied to either then he'd be creating more of the same.

[staph]

Originally Posted by Carol I just got a weird commercial-type email 15 minutes ago. I didn't open it, but reported it as spam. You don't suppose our confidential email addresses from "the other place" have been released to internet advertisers, do you? I am VERY careful about my email address; so I can't help wondering if that might have happened. Hope not.

I really doubt it. It's probably just your Windows-using friends/colleagues... if it comes with an attachment (c.30KB) it's almost certainly something like this.

[HOM]

Originally Posted by feend Someone else already mention this but, don't do this! I'm almost certain that the weird emails pscates is getting are either viruses or automated spam catchers doing exactly what you propose and returning virus emails to the sender. But since pscates's in both cases email address has been spoofed, rather than using the real virus infectee's, pscates's getting nuisance junk mail and if he replied to either then he'd be creating more of the same.

Noticed how I said pscates should call the person if he knew them, not reply to the email.

[pscates2.0]

Originally Posted by crazychester [Hit me with your bad reputation stick HIT ME! HIT ME! ]

Would it be out of line if I said that kinda turned me on?

Don't say it again.

[feend]

Originally Posted by HOM Noticed how I said pscates should call the person if he knew them, not reply to the email.

That's even worse, "Hey, technologically innocent friend, you've got a virus!" is a nasty lie to be spreading regardless of the means of communication.

Because that's the point: they almost certainly don't have a virus. So don't bug them about it.

It's bad when an automated script spams you about it, it's bad when a real human being takes the time to email you (sometimes accusing you of being an idiot for sending them a virus), and it's bad when you get called on the phone so that someone can incorrectly inform you of a virus infection.

So don't do it!

[SilentEchoes]

I NEVER used to get spam in my dotmac account for an entire year, then a couple of months ago I started getting all kinds of it. I know some one else is signing me up for porn sites because a lot of them are confirmations attached with the IP address of who is doing it. You have no idea how mad I was. I was going to toy with them but I decided against it after a while.

I am actually getting blank e-mails now from free e-mail providers like this person is actually going around and signing up for free e-mail so he can send me a blank e-mail and be annoying.

Its not that big of a deal anymore because I have actions setup so if its not one of the few people I want e-mailing me it goes right into a junk folder and trashed after a day or so. I dont even see half of my junk e-mail.

Anyways next time I renew I am going to just change my account name, then get another address as an alias and then just never hand out my real e-mail again. Simple enough solution I guess.

[EDS66]

Some say that as much as 80 percent of SPAM is hurled onto us via infected computers.

http://arstechnica.com/news/posts/1085415169.html

I particularly like the implication that spammers and virus writers are in collusion.

[DMBand0026]

Proving once again...Macs rule.

If no one had an infected computer, than spam might be reduced by up to 80%

Life would again be good.

[dviant]

I get all kinds of crap from "mac.com" accounts or to a huge list of alphabetical mac.com addresses. Sometimes even bouncebacks from someone spoofing my address. Mail does a pretty good job of filtering the junk out, but checking webmail at work can be a bit annoying.

I wish Apple would do something about the ones sent to mac.com account lists. Where the hell do they get those? Too bad spam laws don't get enforced much...

[bassplayinMacFiend]

Originally Posted by feend That's even worse, "Hey, technologically innocent friend, you've got a virus!" is a nasty lie to be spreading regardless of the means of communication. Because that's the point: they almost certainly don't have a virus. So don't bug them about it. It's bad when an automated script spams you about it, it's bad when a real human being takes the time to email you (sometimes accusing you of being an idiot for sending them a virus), and it's bad when you get called on the phone so that someone can incorrectly inform you of a virus infection. So don't do it!

If you dig into email headers, you can find out what SMTP server was first contacted to deliver the mail. Using that info, you can talk to your friends to find out which one (or ones) use that ISP. Then find out which one (ones) of your friends have been getting bounce-back messages (this is how I figured out my parents were infected). That will be the person with the virus.

[dviant]

Know whats even worse than getting a virus? Being duped into believing that you HAVE a virus and then sending out emails to everyone in your address book telling them to search for and delete this "virus"... which turns out to be a legitimate system file. I'd call that an IdiotVirus. Recently got one of those from a client at Sprint. She followed the instructions on this hoax email to a T. I kindly pointed her to all the virus sites that have had it listed as a hoax since 2002. Never even got a thank you. LOL.