If You Get This E-Mail, Delete It

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If You Get This E-Mail, Delete It ASAP Called the W32.Mimail.L@mm, this latest scourge on PC users plays a sinister trick to harass anti-spam organizations via e-mail. The virus arrives as an e-mail attachment to a lewd message from a woman detailing an erotic encounter. It also sends a follow-up threat to send child pornography to the affected computer's user, reports Reuters. The virus files are compressed to escape anti-virus filters. When Mimail.L is activated, it collects personal information from the computer and turns the affected PC into a "zombie" that can be told remotely to attack certain targets. The virus forwards itself to every e-mail address on the infected PC and uses the host computer to send a torrent of meaningless web traffic to computer servers operated by anti-spam groups including Spamhaus, SPEWS, and Spamcop, notes New Scientist. If enough computers are infected, it could create a denial of service attack. Visit the Virus Central Support Forum to get information and download programs to protect your computer from viruses.

Here's the new sinister trick it plays: If it is unable to send itself as an attachment, the virus will instead send a message telling the recipient he or she will soon receive an illegal pornographic CD unless they immediately send an e-mail to billing to cancel the order. Spamhaus says it is receiving a message from an irate user at the rate of one a minute. Wired magazine reports that so far this new Mimail virus is a light outbreak, especially when compared to last summer's epidemic of viruses. The most common password of all is... (Click to find out and if this is your password, change it!) How to spot this wicked e-mail message containing the virus:Subject line: Re [2] We are going to bill your credit card:Attachment: wendy.zipThe message text is a lewd letter from "Wendy" to a man named Greg. Could viruses be used for good instead of evil?