Email virus question

[Craig Fox]

I just received a fraudulent email, supposedly from 'Hallmark.com', inviting
me to view an e-card which contained the Win32:Zapchast-CR Trojan virus -
fortunately Avast detected it.

I'm just wondering - how do these morons obtain email addresses in the first
place? Have they hacked into Hallmark's database?

I never use my real address in newsgroups, nor when signing up for anything,
I use a Yahoo account in those cases.

Thanks very much for any replies.

Craig

 

[Beauregard T. Shagnasty]

I just received a fraudulent email, supposedly from 'Hallmark.com',
inviting me to view an e-card which contained the Win32:Zapchast-CR
Trojan virus - fortunately Avast detected it.

Yes, fortunately. And you hope the trojan wasn't actually installed.

Begs the question, do you click on every link someone or something sends
you?

I'm just wondering - how do these morons obtain email addresses in
the first place? Have they hacked into Hallmark's database?

How do they obtain *your* address? Same as all the rest of the spammers.
They harvest it from .. a website guestbook you posted to; they make it
up; one of your friends has it in their address book and contracted a
worm which read the address book. The sources are endless. And no, they
didn't get it from "hallmark."

I never use my real address in newsgroups, nor when signing up for
anything, I use a Yahoo account in those cases.

See above about friends with worms and viruses. I do notice you are
using the munge of "here.com" which is apparently owned by a Michael
Grossman of Herndon, Virginia. You are doing him a disservice by using
his domain (causing spam to be sent to it). Use "example.com" or
"example.invalid" which will prevent spam being sent to a real person.

 

[Steve Wolstenholme]

I just received a fraudulent email, supposedly from 'Hallmark.com', inviting
me to view an e-card which contained the Win32:Zapchast-CR Trojan virus -
fortunately Avast detected it.

Detected or not you wouldn't have opened it. Would you?

I'm just wondering - how do these morons obtain email addresses in the first
place? Have they hacked into Hallmark's database?

Why would they need to hack a database? They can use any addresses
they want.

I never use my real address in newsgroups, nor when signing up for anything,
I use a Yahoo account in those cases.

I've used a real address on newsgroups for nearly 15 years. It's never
caused any problems.

Steve