What is going on?

[Penny Farthing]

I have an 'up to date' version of Norton which runs weekly has not detected
any virus's but 3 people in my address book have received mails from me
(that I have not sent) in which their AV software has detected a virus
attachment. One of the e-mails my cousin received was sent via a hardly
used hotmail account of mine, the other 2 went from my normal e-mail via
Outlook.

Any ideas?

Many thanks

Penn

 

[FromTheRafters]

I have an 'up to date' version of Norton which runs weekly has not detected
any virus's but 3 people in my address book have received mails from me
(that I have not sent) in which their AV software has detected a virus
attachment. One of the e-mails my cousin received was sent via a hardly
used hotmail account of mine, the other 2 went from my normal e-mail via
Outlook.

Any ideas?

Many recent e-mail worms pretend to be from somewhere they
are not. They harvest addresses from previous victims' machines.
Someone, with your address on their harddrive somewhere, is the
one sending these out in your name.

or...

You are infested with a very rare (these days) e-mail worm that
*doesn't* fake where it comes from.

I vote for the former scenario.

 

[someone]

I have an 'up to date' version of Norton which runs weekly has not detected
any virus's but 3 people in my address book have received mails from me
(that I have not sent) in which their AV software has detected a virus
attachment. One of the e-mails my cousin received was sent via a hardly
used hotmail account of mine, the other 2 went from my normal e-mail via
Outlook.

Any ideas?

Many thanks

Penn

If you are put in someone else's address book (like, any of the 20 people
you sent anything to in the last year), and *they* contract a virus, the
virus will search through their address book and find *your* email address
and grab it and use it to send emails that contain a virus to total
strangers (as well as your friends).

I have even got a virus from myself on my usual ISP!

There is virtually nothing you can do about this, except to check your
emails on your ISP's server and don't download them if they look dodgy (use
a POP3 scanner). Your friends have to protect themselves. And you should
ask them not to forward you "amusing" attachments.

The days are gone when one could send a humorous .exe to a friend!

s.

 

[FromTheRafters]

If you are put in someone else's address book (like, any of the 20 people
you sent anything to in the last year), and *they* contract a virus, the
virus will search through their address book and find *your* email address
and grab it and use it to send emails that contain a virus to total
strangers (as well as your friends).

I have even got a virus from myself on my usual ISP!

There is virtually nothing you can do about this, except to check your
emails on your ISP's server and don't download them if they look dodgy (use
a POP3 scanner). Your friends have to protect themselves. And you should
ask them not to forward you "amusing" attachments.

The days are gone when one could send a humorous .exe to a friend!

Not really, it just requires more caution than most people can
be bothered with.