Is this a virus?

[Ed Gildone]

I use Windows XP Pro, IE, Outlook express, Zone Alarm and MacAfee antivirus.
I am getting 1 or 2 emails just about everyday that I are either a virus or
spam. These emails have a different from address each time and a garbage
subject line. They are touting a different stock each day. Sometimes I get
2 emails in one day touting the same stock. The next day they will tout a
different stock. Usually when I get emails like this they are trying to
sell me a stock newsletter, but these are not trying to sell anything, in
fact there is no information in the email that lets me know how to contact
them. Also there is always a paragraph at the bottom containing nonsense
garbage. I believe this is to get around spam checkers. Does anyone know
if these emails are harmful and how to stop them?

Ed

 

[David H. Lipman]

From: "Ed Gildone" <[email protected]>

| I use Windows XP Pro, IE, Outlook express, Zone Alarm and MacAfee antivirus.
| I am getting 1 or 2 emails just about everyday that I are either a virus or
| spam. These emails have a different from address each time and a garbage
| subject line. They are touting a different stock each day. Sometimes I get
| 2 emails in one day touting the same stock. The next day they will tout a
| different stock. Usually when I get emails like this they are trying to
| sell me a stock newsletter, but these are not trying to sell anything, in
| fact there is no information in the email that lets me know how to contact
| them. Also there is always a paragraph at the bottom containing nonsense
| garbage. I believe this is to get around spam checkers. Does anyone know
| if these emails are harmful and how to stop them?
|
| Ed
|

If they contain a virus -- yesw they can be harmful.

Create email rules to auto-delete these emails.

 

[John Coutts]

I use Windows XP Pro, IE, Outlook express, Zone Alarm and MacAfee antivirus.
I am getting 1 or 2 emails just about everyday that I are either a virus or
spam. These emails have a different from address each time and a garbage
subject line. They are touting a different stock each day. Sometimes I get
2 emails in one day touting the same stock. The next day they will tout a
different stock. Usually when I get emails like this they are trying to
sell me a stock newsletter, but these are not trying to sell anything, in
fact there is no information in the email that lets me know how to contact
them. Also there is always a paragraph at the bottom containing nonsense
garbage. I believe this is to get around spam checkers. Does anyone know
if these emails are harmful and how to stop them?

Ed

***************** REPLY SEPARATER *****************
It's a scam called Pump & Dump. Because it is illegal to hype up a particular
stock for any purpose, they are usually distributed through zombies. I have
never seen one yet that has a virus attached, and I have seen a lot of these.

J.A. Coutts

 

[Ed Gildone]

From: "Ed Gildone" <[email protected]>

If they contain a virus -- yesw they can be harmful.

Create email rules to auto-delete these emails.

Thats easier said than done -- the subject is always random garbage and the
sender is always different so how can you set up a rule to delete it?

Ed

 

[David H. Lipman]

From: "Ed Gildone" <[email protected]>

|
| Thats easier said than done -- the subject is always random garbage and the
| sender is always different so how can you set up a rule to delete it?
|
| Ed
|

There is usually a common denominator for most varaiants of a given infector. But yes, its
not always that easy to implement.