Jump to content

Virused E-mails


catbirdseat

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 20
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Now I've started to get Delivery Failure Notification messages. I think this means that someone who has me on their address book got the virus which sent a message to a bad address using my return address. The server sends me the notification based on the phony return address rather than the infected computer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

CBS,

I think those "failed delivery" messages are copies of the virus being sent to you in hopes you'll click the attachment to see what the message was that you sent.

 

What's the deal with this "banned CD that the government doesn't want you to see?" spam that has all the random words in it? I guess those random words must be meant to fool the spam filters?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

CBS is right about the source of the bounce messages. The sending address on infected messages is almost always forged now. Getting a bounce notification just means that the infected message bounced and it had your addresses forged on it.

 

The list of words is added to spam to fool filters. It depressingly effective.

 

-L

Link to comment
Share on other sites

All three of my company's offices (Seattle, Yakima, and Oly) got hit today. We had to shut down our email gateway until we got it sorted out. I personally did not get an infected email, but many others here did.

 

There should be a "lynch law" passed that sez that once we find the fuckers that write/release these virus thingies, we can just kill them, no questions asked. It's a total waste of GNP to fuck with this shit with an increasingly depressing regularity. madgo_ron.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Microsoft should put that money towards writing decent software that doesn't turn your PC into a total menace on the internet. The virus makers are lame but I blame Microsoft for crap technology on this one. Sorry to those folks who work in Redmond on this board (perhaps there are many) but come on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

they are only secure as the person who uses them, but perhaps the most secure available today is BSD. It has traditionally been used as a server platform, but it is currently the subsystem for Mac OS X client software. It is quite secure, though any applications (such as apache webserver, ftp, nfs, etc, need to be set up intelligently if they are to be used).

 

Obviously, Windows is a very nice target for hackers since it is so commonplace. As new systems become more popular, they too will be targeted, but Windows has been particularly bad. Any system where your web browser or email client can be used as a portal to execute other applications on your hard drive is pretty poor in my opinion. And it has happened repeatedly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Iain touches on a very important point here. While BSD, specifically OpenBSD, is truly an excellent OS, and one of the most secure, the average Joe's grandmother isn't going to know so much as how to insert the CD, let alone install it. Ask any hacker, and they'll tell you the weakest link to any system is the user. MyDoom/Novarg doesn't just launch itself as soon as you get your email; you have to open the email, which will typically show to be from a completely unknown sender, then run the attachment from said email manually. Windows spent so much time making their OS idiot-proof, but now it's biting them in the ass because their users really don't know what they're doing. With a little basic education, this virus would go nowhere.

 

Windows does definitely have a lot of ground to make up to be considered anything less than crawling with bugs, but education is just as important.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.




×
×
  • Create New...