Latest Virus - "Dear friend"?

stevenrw · Aug 13, 2008, 08:53:09

Has anybody recieved a spam email with the heading "dear friend" with an advert for cheap electronics www. fugaotc.com?
It seems to access your contact list and forwards itself to all the entries on the list.
It then wiped out our Hotmail contact list. Of course you can't get in touch with Hotmail to see if you can get the list reinstated from backup (I assume it's stored on MSN's servers?)
Beware - just delete it. We only opened the mail, not the attachment.

Rik · Aug 13, 2008, 09:04:20

Haven't seen it, Steve, but thanks for the warning.

Gary · Aug 13, 2008, 09:05:41

Quote from: stevenrw on Aug 13, 2008, 08:53:09
Has anybody recieved a spam email with the heading "dear friend" with an advert for cheap electronics www. fugaotc.com?
It seems to access your contact list and forwards itself to all the entries on the list.
It then wiped out our Hotmail contact list. Of course you can't get in touch with Hotmail to see if you can get the list reinstated from backup (I assume it's stored on MSN's servers?)
Beware - just delete it. We only opened the mail, not the attachment.

Sounds nasty, I only open mail from people I know, I have a feature called mail dispatcher in my internet security that allows me to see the properties before its downloaded from the server, so I can delete before it gets to the pc, thanks for the heads up

Tacitus · Aug 13, 2008, 09:32:34

Quote from: stevenrw on Aug 13, 2008, 08:53:09
Has anybody recieved a spam email with the heading "dear friend" with an advert for cheap electronics www. fugaotc.com?

I've just had a load of them on my academic address. Most have been caught by the spam traps, but a few made it through for some reason. Remembering what happened a couple of years ago at the start of term when a student in one of the halls connected his laptop and took the whole University down for 3 days before they could trace the source, I can see it happening again. They've just gone over to an all-Microsoft setup complete with Outlook, Exchange Server the full Monty, so maybe I should run a book on how long it will be before it happens again.

Gary · Aug 13, 2008, 09:37:28

Why do people open these though

if Its not mail from someone I know, be it friend or business an email from a name like fugaotc.com would be binned before anyone could open it

stevenrw · Aug 13, 2008, 10:49:53

Just to be clear - the sendee isn't the dodgy site, it appears to be from oneself. So if your address is Another@hotmail.com, it seems to be from Another@hotmail.com.

Gary · Aug 13, 2008, 10:53:11

Quote from: stevenrw on Aug 13, 2008, 10:49:53
Just to be clear - the sendee isn't the dodgy site, it appears to be from oneself. So if your address is Another@hotmail.com, it seems to be from Another@hotmail.com.

So you get an email spoofed as yourself?

Rik · Aug 13, 2008, 10:58:41

I never read anything from myself, I know it's going to be rubbish.

Simon · Aug 13, 2008, 10:59:26

It's unfortunate that people still fall for these, as it only helps proliferation.

J!ll · Aug 13, 2008, 11:16:52

I was warned a couple of weeks ago with this, not sure if it's the same?

http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/postcard.asp

Rik · Aug 13, 2008, 11:19:58

Slightly different one, Jill. They're all a pain, though.

Gary · Aug 13, 2008, 11:28:24

Quote from: Simon on Aug 13, 2008, 10:59:26
It's unfortunate that people still fall for these, as it only helps proliferation.

Why would you open an email from yourself about a product you had not ordered? Or for that matter an email spoofed from a friends Email address

J!ll · Aug 13, 2008, 11:29:11

Quote from: Rik on Aug 13, 2008, 11:19:58
Slightly different one, Jill. They're all a pain, though.

Yes cos Snopes said it is real, but if you continue to read it states:

QuoteAlthough the Postcard virus is real, it isn't a "BIG VIRUS COMING" (It's already been around in multiple forms for a long time now, it will not "burn the whole hard disc" of your computer, CNN didn't classify it as the "worst virus" ever, and it doesn't arrive in messages bearing a subject line of 'Invitation.'

Gary · Aug 13, 2008, 11:29:23

Quote from: Rik on Aug 13, 2008, 10:58:41
I never read anything from myself, I know it's going to be rubbish.

I just can't bear the typos, Rik. I forget what I was on about anyway

Dangerjunkie · Sep 18, 2008, 16:36:21

Quote from: Tacitus on Aug 13, 2008, 09:32:34
maybe I should run a book on how long it will be before it happens again.

If they've gone that way then I think you should spend your cut from the book on a PAYG 3G modem for your laptop as you'll probably need it. Sod's law says that it will happen the night before a big coursework deadline.

Cheers,
Paul.