Re: Email worm sent to "group members"

NYRides wrote:

> "Tim McNamara" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message

>  
>
>>Chuck Anderson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
>>
>>    
>>
>>>I can see by looking at the To: list that many in the
>>>rec.bicycles.rides group (and others) were sent this email.
>>>
>>>Subject: Posta Sicura Elitel: notifica antivirus From:
>>>[EMAIL PROTECTED] (att. - Latest Critical Patch.eml)
>>>
>>>This is a classic email worm that has invaded someone's address book
>>>and sent itself to everyone in it. Looking at the list I see many
>>>contributors from here. And the email addresses have to be from
>>>someone's address book (using an email address that I never use in
>>>public).
>>>
>>>Do not open this attachment. Microsoft never emails patches to
>>>users. It is a worm/virus/trojan.
>>>
>>>I wonder who's got "the bug."
>>>      
>>>
>>Thousands of people, mostly people running Microsoft news/mail
>>readers that automatically upen attachments and thus launch the bug
>>into their system.
>>
>>This is, from the sounds of it, the SWEN (news spelled backwards) bug.
>>It's been around for months- are you just getting it for the first
>>time?  I've gotten at least 15,000 of these rascals e-mailed to me
>>over the past couple of months.  It raids news spools for e=mail
>>addresses.  Someone like me who posts actively in a wide variety of
>>newsgroups gets hit hard.
>>    
>>

>The barrage of "Microsoft" e-mails in my "NYRides" inbox has finally settled
>down a bit.  I was getting 75 to 80 twice a day/every day for a while.
>  
>

Knock on wood.

I've never gotten anywhere near that volume. In fact, if I did, I would
immediately change my email address and notify everyone who needs to
know. I've got several email usernames at this time and a few of them
are pure throw aways. I only use them for registration at sites that I
don't really care about and mail lists that I could always resubscribe
to (if I care to). I think the key is to NOT get too attached to any one
email address. All email addresses will become spambot fodder some day*.

(* Unless you are very diligent about using it only in private messages.
Even then, you could be harvested if someone sticks your address in a
long To: list when forwarding a "real important message" that they MUST
share with ALL of their friends.)

75 - 80 a day? I'd get a new email address and start over.

-- 
*****************************
 Chuck Anderson • Boulder, CO
 http://www.CycleTourist.com
 Integrity is obvious.
 The lack of it is common.
*****************************