Group Moderator - W32.Swen.A@mm virus?

[DaveM]

I had previously posted a question to this with my real
email address. Not too long afterwards and
coincidentally, I began receiving email with attachments
containing the W32.Swen.A@mm virus. Norton is catching
and quarantining them but it is getting annoying. Could
the moderator of this newsgroup please run virus check on
the server(s). The virus can apparently infect them as
well, although it didn't appear like it should email out
for groups in the same fashion as individual users. I
will also send out a general email to folks in my address
book. Thanks.

 

[Jim Eshelman]

I had previously posted a question to this with my real
email address. Not too long afterwards and
coincidentally, I began receiving email with attachments
containing the W32.Swen.A@mm virus. Norton is catching
and quarantining them but it is getting annoying. Could
the moderator of this newsgroup please run virus check on
the server(s). The virus can apparently infect them as
well, although it didn't appear like it should email out
for groups in the same fashion as individual users. I
will also send out a general email to folks in my address
book. Thanks.

The virus wouldn't have come from the server -- and probably didn't come
from your launching a link on a post (though a few such nasties do stay here
a few hours before they're removed). Most likely, this came simply from the
fact that spammers (including virus pushers) scan newsgroups to harvest
email addresses. See the interesting study here:
http://www.cdt.org/speech/spam/030319spamreport.shtml

Microsoft recently began recommending that those who post here mask
(spam-block) their email addresses. (See the article for a discussion of
this.)

--
Jim Eshelman, MS-MVP Windows
http://aumha.org/
http://forum.aumha.org/

Did you find this newsgroup on the web? A newsreader like Outlook Express
will make your online life a lot easier. Get better help!
See: http://aumha.org/win4/supp1b.htm and
http://support.microsoft.com/support/news/howto/default.asp

 

[DaveM]

Jim, thanks for the article and info. Yes, I realized it
wasn't from the post itself, but that perhaps the worm was
scanning the newsgroup posts and generating its own list.
That seems a bit more likely. It was a big coincidence
that the two happened fairly close to each other. Would
it be possible to remove my post so the email address
isn't likely to get harvested anymore? Then, I'll take a
bit better care when posting. I posted on Nov 15 2003,
5:33 AM. I'm DaveM and my email is from Adelphia. I'm
not getting a reply anyway. It's more likely that someone
else who has me in their address book actually has the
worm and it just keeps sending. I'm taking steps in that
direction as well. Again, thanks for the reply and info.

 

[Jim Eshelman]

Would
it be possible to remove my post so the email address
isn't likely to get harvested anymore? Then, I'll take a
bit better care when posting. I posted on Nov 15 2003,
5:33 AM.

You could recall the post; except that, within a few hours of posts hitting
this server, they are slurped out to other newsfeeds and then have an
independent life. They aren't recoverable once the river hits the ocean.
Even if Microsoft wiped the post off its server, there would be
dozens-to-hundreds of other copies out there, and by now picked up by Google
and other permanent web archives of newsgroups. Sorry

It's more likely that someone
else who has me in their address book actually has the
worm and it just keeps sending.

Yes. I meant to add that. This *is* the most likely. But I also didn't want
to discount your "coincidence," especially since newsgroup posting is one
definite way to get yourself in spammers' cross-hairs.

--
Jim Eshelman, MS-MVP Windows
http://aumha.org/
http://WinSupportCenter.com/

Did you find this newsgroup on the web? A newsreader like Outlook Express
will make your online life a lot easier. Get better help!
See: http://aumha.org/nntp.htm and
http://support.microsoft.com/support/news/howto/default.asp

 

[Dave R.]

It's embarrassing for a Wabash grad. Jim, you DePauw people take care of my
teeth, cut on me, check my prostate, and now help with the computer. At
least we won the Monon Bell.
Thanks,
Dave

 

[Jim Eshelman]

It's embarrassing for a Wabash grad. Jim, you DePauw people take care of my
teeth, cut on me, check my prostate, and now help with the computer. At
least we won the Monon Bell.

LOL! That's what comes from a great school! (Though I must admit that during
the Bush-Quayle administration I stopped admitting where I'd gone to school.
<g>).

I don't know whether history was preserved this, but in 1973 there was a
mysterious theft of the Monon Bell from where it was suspended in the
ceiling of Wabash' gymnasium. It mysteriously appeared at DePauw the next
morning. No damage was done other than the cutting of one chain that was
paid for. It was very Mission: Impossible. The perpetrators were never
identified, but, ahem, I was the person who wrote the article for the campus
newspaper and had, ahem, extremely good sources.

Strangely, I don't remember who won the game the following weekend --
the warm-up event was much more memoriable. (I *think* you guys won.)

 

[Dave R.]

ROFL. I have a picture of "THE BELL" on the back of a pick up, having
traveled 25 miles, taken one dark night in 1949, yep '49. You sure took your
time paying us back. Fun times.
Dave