DO NOT OPEN FILE ATTACHMENTS without a VIRUS check

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

 

My Laptop and Lab PC have been virus-free for circa 1 year.

Though I receive viruses every day, updated McAfee Antivirus

software detects them immediately, and my hard drives are clean.

 

However, EVEN IF you recognise the sender's address (including

mine), AND the Subject Heading and Introductory lines in the email

seem relevant, DO NOT OPEN ANY FILE ATTACHMENT without

checking it for viruses.

 

If you want more details, read on...

 

In recent months, I have had several emails from colleagues to

report that file attachments in emails sent from my Lab (Grange)

address <progers contained viruses.

 

Here is a typical report, received from Jean J, today:

> Hi Phil be careful because your attachment has a virus ...

 

Early in 2002, I had some virus attacks on my Lab PC. Some

viruses copied the addresses in the address book on email

software, and ALSO the Subject Headers and introductory lines in

the text of old emails.

 

When the attackers (hackers) capture genuine email addresses

and data, they can use these for their own purposes later. They

falsify their own identities by using the email addresses, headers

and introductory text of any attacked PCs. When THEY send virus-

infected attachments, it SEEMS that the attachment comes (with

a copied Subject heading and introduction from an old email) from

a genuine address.

 

As for my Lab PC and Laptop, please note that:

 

(a) As I work from home now, I have not used my Grange PC to

post to the Lists except VERY rarely in the past 18 months. A

colleague in Grange uses the PC, but uses a different LOGIN.

Therefore my colleague cannot access my email data on that PC

and any emails from her would NOT carry my email address.

 

(b) As part of the security in the Grange Lab network, my Lab PC

has McAfee Antivirus software installed and updated routinely. NO

viruses were found on that PC in recent checks of the system.

 

© My Laptop [which is my main workhorse for List acivities] also

has McAfee Antivirus software installed and updated routinely.

Although I receive several viruses as email attachments daily, the

software detects them and I delete them routinely. Also, NO

viruses were found on my laptop in recent checks of the system.

 

However, EVEN IF you recognise the sender's address (including

mine), AND the Subject Heading and Introductory lines in the email

seem relevant, DO NOT OPEN ANY FILE ATTACHMENT without

checking it for viruses.

 

 

Best regards,

 

 

WORK : Teagasc Staff Development Unit, Sandymount Ave., Dublin 4, Ireland

WWW :

Email: <

Tel : 353-; [in the Republic: 0]

 

HOME : 1 Esker Lawns, Lucan, Dublin, Ireland

WWW : http://homepage.eircom.net/~progers/searchap.htm

Email: <

Tel : 353-; [in the Republic: 0]