Anyone else get computer virus

Somehow I received an email from scottysheridan23@crawco.com.au attaching a very nasty computer virus. Luckily my anti virus software picked it up. Beware others! And to Scott - NOT FUNNY, check your computer carefully if you sent it. Otherwise webmaster, please check this site.

I got attacked too (unsuccessfully - thank you Vet).

There was a theatre-related subject line, although I didn't know the sender. I copied the message to my desktop & virus-scanned it before opening, then deleted the message before worrying too much who it came from.

Guess we have to practice safe surfing as well as safe sets...

:-) L

Hi Helen

Helen wrote:
> Somehow I received an email from
> scottysheridan23@crawco.com.au attaching a very nasty
> computer virus.

I don't want to leap to Scott's defence without checking the suspect mail, but the virus very probably had nothing to do with scottysheridan23. Recent virii have specialised in picking two addresses at random from someone else's address book or inbox, using one as a fake "From" address and mailing a copy of the virus to the other. Short of decoding headers and contacting ISPs, you may have no effective way of knowing who actually sent the virus.

> Luckily my anti virus software picked it up.

Indeed! Although I'd encourage people not to rely on anti-viral software. Unless you update your AV software daily you are unprotected. Even daily updates won't cover you against virulent new virii that can arrive in your mailbox well before the AV software manufacturers can identify the new virus and release a patch.

The only real protection is safe web and email practices.
* Don't open attachments.
* Avoid M$ Outlook - it has more (potential) securty holes than a leaky seive.
* M$ Internet Explorer is (potentially) just as insecure.
* Recent versions of Netscape/Mozilla beat the pants of IE for mail & web.
* Switch off display images in email.
* Switch off HTML mail.
* Switch off auto-preview of attachments.
* And don't open attachments.

> Beware others! And to Scott - NOT FUNNY, check your computer carefully
> if you sent it.

Unless you're terminally stupid, people don't deliberately send virii to each other - apart from anything else it is a criminal offence.

> Otherwise webmaster, please check
> this site.

Thankfully this site is impervious to the thousands of Micro$oft specifc virii that abound on the Internet. It runs on the free Linux operating system, for which there are very, very few virii - none of which will propagate themselves in the fashion you describe. Nor does the site provide any means by which M$ specific virii can propagate themselves.

:-)

Cheers
Grant

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Thanks Grant,

I know Scott. He's posted on this page before, and the address on the contaminated email is not his email address. As you said, it appears to be a combination of two random addresses, both of which have appeared on this page.

I received the contaminated email too, and my anti-virus program caught it. Great tips for the future though. Thanks again.

JB

Thank you Grant for your prompt response and explanation.

Although I must admit I did not expect to be insulted in your reply:

> Unless you're terminally stupid, people don't deliberately send virii to each other - apart from anything else it is a criminal offence.

I don't profess to be being a computer whiz, I just use the beast. I also do not know this Scott and whether or not he would do anything illegal!

Yes I was ticked off at getting the virus sent to me (isn't everyone?) My message was kindly meant as a warning to others.

Hi Helen

Helen wrote:
> Thank you Grant for your prompt response and explanation.
>
> Although I must admit I did not expect to be insulted in your
> reply:
>
> > Unless you're terminally stupid, people don't deliberately
> send virii to each other - apart from anything else it
> is a criminal offence.

Whoops! Quoted out of context it might read as though I was indulging in some personal abuse. My apologies. Of course, I wasn't referring to you but labelling anyone silly enough to deliberately send someone a virus "terminally stupid".

:-)

I'll blame sleep deprivation for my poor phraseology.

Cheers
Grant

PS. Thou lumpish fly-bitten dewberry! Now there's an insult

;-)

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