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| Thread ID: 33975 | 2003-05-31 09:30:00 | "Virus" problem - actually an elaborate spam plot | Robin S_ (86) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 148829 | 2003-05-31 09:30:00 | Last week I posted a call for help to identify an apparent virus (see this pressf1.pcworld.co.nz). By chance, and with some clues from pf1, I have solved the riddle. As mentioned in the above thread, there were a number of features that didn't fit a virus as being the explanation. Quite separately, I noticed Chilling's post on "What e-mail client do you use?" (pressf1.pcworld.co.nz) and in the thread was a tip by bm about using Eudora's viewer instead of Microsoft's. That appealed to me so I changed my Eudora settings to do this. Later I went to my wife's "bounced" e-mails to investigate the links in them and found that the picture placeholders in the message bodies no longer showed. I guessed that the reason was the switch to the Eudora viewer so I went back and (temporarily) restored the Microsoft viewer. When I returned to the e-mails - lo! the placeholders had now turned into ads. Why they hadn't previously, I don't know, but twiddling with the settings had obviously woken something up and activated it. So the "bounced e-mail notice" is a (new?) ploy being used by spammer(s). Presumably, those who use Outlook or another client that uses the Microsoft viewer would normally get the ads coming up when opening the bounced e-mail notifications (as you would). Those who don't use the viewer are likely to get the puzzling situation that we did. |
Robin S_ (86) | ||
| 148830 | 2003-05-31 10:24:00 | The new Outlook 2003 has an option that it blocks external links. You can do a simple click if you want to see them and you get them in their glory. I screen all my mail before I download it to Outlook and if it is something that looks like spam or is a bounce then it gets deleted off the server. Thus I only download to outlook what I want. However the amount of spam is rising each day even though my e-mail address is not used anywhere. Guess thats what happens when you use a simple to guess email address |
Big John (551) | ||
| 148831 | 2003-05-31 11:45:00 | Darn! I pressed the wrong button when I was trying to edit the first post and sent it. And Hoboy!, the limited editing features here sure make it a picnic trying to make corrections! Here is what it should have been. Last week I posted a call for help to identify an apparent virus (see pressf1.pcworld.co.nz ). By chance, and with some clues from pf1, I have solved the riddle. As mentioned in the above thread, there were a number of features that didn't fit a virus as being the explanation. Quite separately, I noticed JM's post on "What e-mail client do you use?" pressf1.pcworld.co.nz and in the thread was a tip by bmason about using Eudora's viewer instead of Microsoft's. That appealed to me so I changed my Eudora settings to do this. Later I went to my wife's "bounced" e-mails to investigate the links in them and found that the picture placeholders in the message bodies no longer showed. I guessed that the reason was the switch to the Eudora viewer so I went back and (temporarily) restored the Microsoft viewer. When I returned to the e-mails - lo! the placeholders had now turned into ads. Why they hadn't previously, I don't know, but twiddling with the settings had obviously woken something up and activated it. So the "bounced e-mail notice" is a (new?) ploy being used by spammer(s). Presumably, those who use Outlook or another client that uses the Microsoft viewer would normally get the ads coming up when opening the bounced e-mail notifications (as you would). Those who don't use the viewer are likely to get the puzzling situation that we did. |
Robin S_ (86) | ||
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