Be careful!
There seems to be an odd sort of war between two sets of virus writers. Virus-laden e-mail messages are flying everywhere.
Don’t open ANY e-mail attachments unless you are completely certain about the contents.
Update your antivirus definitions – Norton’s were updated yesterday.
The virus writers are getting smarter about how to create fake e-mail messages that will slip past your defenses.
Sometimes the attachments are ZIP files, because Outlook, Exchange Server, and the other mail programs usually don’t filter out ZIP files.
Sometimes the attachments are password-protected zip files, because they look important and even rigorous screening at big companies will allow password-protected files through.
The messages are more sneaky than ever. Random sample from my inbox:
“Dear user of e-mail server “bruceb.com”,
“Our antivirus software has detected a large amount of viruses outgoing from your email account. You may use our free antivirus tool to clean up your computer. Further details can be obtained from the attached file. For security reasons the attached file is password-protected. The password is 51783.
“Have a good day,
“The bruceb.com team
“https://www.bruceb.com”
Please, do not be fooled into opening an e-mail attachment. Remember that the sender is forged – a message with a virus does not come from the person shown as the sender. If you have any reason to be unsure, contact the sender and ask if it is a legitimate attachment. If the sender is unaware of the message, delete it, shake your head in dismay, and move on.
