Heads Up

[mythusmage]

Got an email from the following address, russ@en-world.freeserve.co.uk. It included the subject line "False?", a one word message, "Great!", and an attachment, <disco.zip>. If you get any such message be aware that there seems to be a rash of viruses going around. I doubt our own Morrus would send any such email as the above. Steady type for a website owner he is.

You get any email purporting to be from ENWorld that has an unsolicited attachment (i.e., one you didn't specifically ask for) treat it as hostile and delete without opening.

 

[haiiro]

Assuming you've sent Morrus email at some point, or that he's in your address book, it's possible that you have a virus yourself -- since trolling your mail for addresses to use is a pretty common feature. I'm not trying to be lecture-y, it just seemed worth bringing up.

 

[mythusmage]

Assuming you've sent Morrus email at some point, or that he's in your address book, it's possible that you have a virus yourself -- since trolling your mail for addresses to use is a pretty common feature. I'm not trying to be lecture-y, it just seemed worth bringing up.

I have a Macintosh.

 

[Michael Morris]

So? There are Mac viruses. They aren't as common, but they do exist.

 

[mythusmage]

And why would I send myself a virus? A Windows virus at that.

Morrus' email got spoofed. Other spoof emails with ENWorld in the address could be out there. I gave out a heads up to warn people of the possibility. Be careful when it comes to email.

That is all.

 

[Michael Morris]

And why would I send myself a virus? A Windows virus at that.

Viruses aren't that bright. Many will pick an address at random from your address book, then send an email to every other address in your book - including your own.

It's worth looking into.

 

[mythusmage]

Viruses aren't that bright. Many will pick an address at random from your address book, then send an email to every other address in your book - including your own.

It's worth looking into.

Mike, Windows viruses don't work on Macs, and vice versa. Disco.zip is a Windows virus. The most likely scenario is that someone got the virus from somewhere else; it got activated, looked through the chap's address book, and picked Morrus' address randomly. Then used that to send along bogus messages to random individuals.

Which is all besides the point, which is that there are bogus messages from spoofed ENWorld addresses. Messages that should be treated with caution. For I doubts me very much that Russell (or most anybody else) would be sending out enigmatic messages with attachments willy-nilly.

I've been spoofed. Viruses have gone out with a <insert name here>@mythusmage.com address. I once received a pair of emails from some clown purporting to be administration@mythusmage.com informing me it was time to re-up something or other. And I'm the sole owner of said domain.

My address is available on others' computers. Everybody's address is available on somebody's computer. It aint that hard get. So Morrus got picked on this time around. The next time it could be you.

But, since he is the man behind ENWorld his address could bear more weight than your's or mine. Someone might get an email, with attachment, with his return address, and open it thinking it's important. That's what I'm hoping to forestall.

So let me reiterate: Never open any email with an attachment you weren't expecting. That is the point of my post. That and the fact Morrus' address is being spoofed. Anything else is quite besides the point.

 

[Dinkeldog]

I have a Macintosh.

Yeah, there are very few Macintosh viruses. What would be the point, you know? Spend all that time perfecting a virus to unleash havoc on the world and it can only inflict, what, 8 machines? Yeah, that's havoc. Macintosh virus writers are analogous to Stitch stuck on Kauai.