Rogue Email

[Ken Shelmerdine]

Just recently I received an email saying something like < Be your own boss change your lifestyle> with a link to a website. The email was supposedly sent from myself to myself.! Little did I know that it had attached itself to my contacts list and sent the same email to every one on it. I didn't click on the link as I suspect it may be malicious so please don't open the webpage it will take you to.

I definitely did not create it and I don't sleepwalk. I would be interested to know if anyone who have ever PM'd me or I PM'd them whether they have received this email.

[jbeany]

Most likely, you just got hacked.  I got a similar one from my 12 year old nephew's email not long ago.  It linked back to a website selling Viagra.  It had been sent to everyone in his contacts list.

I just teased him about the most successful school fund-raising project ever!

[ToddB0130]

It's happened to me as well.  I was selling viagra and I didn't even know it !  HA.   I believe if you change the password for the email address that got hacked,  it will stop.

[RichardMEL]

I wouldn't say "hacked" so much as picked up a virus or a bit of malware somewhere. Could be from an infected download, like a toolar or something, or an email opened up that contained it - either legit or spam. Even when you got the first one and opened it that could have done the damage.

The best thing to do is to install some kind of a antivirus solution that also scans emails and/or an anti-spam filter. At home I use AVG Free (http://free.avg.com) and it works well. I've never had a virus hit at home(that I know of, anyway ) and of course I *never* download anything off the internet which I don't trust the source of - specially "fun" things like random toolbars or smileys or whatever.

Maybe we should setup a software company and release a product called PC-Valcyte - kills all the nasties!!!!! 

[kristina]

I was surprised when I received a message - supposedly from Ken - offering me “a new life-style”
and I had a suspicion that the message was not from Ken because we corresponded ages ago
when I was wondering if Ken knew where I could get assistance to set-up NHS health care for me in my ESRF
as I am without any NHS-doctor or NHS-specialist to go to
and perhaps Ken might know of a UK-charity I had no contacted yet,
a charity who could assist me to set-up and receive NHS medical care in my ESRF.

When I received this message - supposedly from Ken - about "life-changes and/or a new life-style" – it did not "fit"
because I can't imagine Ken trying to teach me anything about "life-changes"
when I am desperately searching for an NHS-doctor/specialist who can medically assist me in my ESRF.

I was also surprised about this e-mail, because, after all, being in ESRF is about survival and nothing else
and we don't really have any time for such "artificial humbug luxuries" like "life-changes."

I immediately contacted Ken via IHD to find out what was going on and
I was glad when Ken confirmed my suspicion and no harm was done to me.

I don't understand what computer-hackers try to achieve ?

[RichardMEL]

spammers have basically two main agendas.

1. MONEY

For every x million messages they send out there will be at least a few suckers who will click on their links, or even sign up for the crazy stuff - even clicking on a link, say some adware or sometuing can generate a bit of income (in a similar way that facebook, for example, has little ads at the side of each page which they derive a fraction of a cent for each "view" - which all adds up). So the spammers can get money that way or via idiots signing up to their service, or if it it a more "sophisticated" phishing scheme (the sort of thing that tries to dupe you into revealing your bank account details) - then they can just clean you out if you're dumb enough to fall victim to the ruse. Clearly enough people do because they keep it up.

2. SECURITY BREACHES

This is the more serous issue to my mind (because banks/CC companies usually refund money lost due to fraud-but not always) - but worms, trojans etc getting into restricted etworks, past firewalls etc can then either cripple a network, or created a denial-of-service attack on a specific target (eg: hit the servers of company X so hard that they go off the air thus affecting their business or ability to do whatever it is they do), or even get into govt. security systems and wreack havoc -for anything from defacing websites for some agenda like free speech or something, up to and including things like info-terrorism, spying etc.

As with most things in this age no matter what barriers you put up (and I have worked in some environments with very paranoid and super protected security - eg redundant firewalls, triple layers of security access etc) that it will still be some person bringing in an infected file on a USB memory stick or something to cause issues. It's almost always a human that is the weak link - which is why many spam and phishing emails become more and more sophisticated - eg: targeting specific users based on google searches to try and figure out keywords - and why viruses will travel via address books - if you get an email apparently from someone you know, chances are far more likely that you'll at least look at it - and that's half the job of the scammer done for them.

Moral of the story - be careful!

[kristina]

Thanks Richard for the explanation, I appreciate it very much.

I find it very sad though, that such spammers take-on people like Ken
and through Ken they try to harm me.

I mean, we are in a very vulnerable position
and sometimes it is so hard
to be keeping “spot on with the grey cells” when in ESRF...

Thanks again, Richard.

[Sluff]

They make money every time someone clicks on the link.  It runs through a search engine and they make a few pennies each time. Adds up.

[kristina]

Thanks Sluff,

it is all beyond me, but I shall try hard to keep away from it.

Nice to "see" you again, hope you are doing well. 

[RichardMEL]

Just note that they don't specifically target people in respect that "oh they have a disease and may not be thinking properly" - these people work in volumes of billions of messages. yes - BILLIONS - their strike rate is going to be very very small, but given the volume, it's enough to get them enough $$$ to make it worthwhile.

It's an insidious problem and whenever the IT industry find ways to combat it, they -like viruses - adapt and find other ways. The truth of the matter is they wouldn't bother if it didn't work out for them enough to make the effort worth it. Sad but true.

It's part of my job to deal with stuff like this, so I do have a bit of understanding of what goes on. Some of the stuff I've seen is amazing.

[kristina]

Thanks again, Richard, I shall take great care.