nivrip
Yorkshire Cruncher
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2007
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I've had an email from the local Police Neibourhood Watch Scheme about virus attacks on computers.
This is the gist of it:
Advice About Online Virus And Other Attacks
Recently a warning was given regarding online attacks such as viruses which, after infecting your computer, then e mail themselves to all your contacts within your contact list.
In order to give you an indication if your computer has been infected and also to prevent you inadvertently sending it on to all your contacts, there is a simple thing that you can do.
In your e mail contact list, create a “New Contact”
As a contact name use “AAAAA”
As a contact E mail address use (e-mail address removed). or something similar ensuring that it will be the first contact on your list.
If your computer gets infected via e mail and the malicious program attempts to send itself to all your contacts it will try the bogus one that you set up first.
Firstly it won’t be able to successfully send to that address and will not continue any further through your contacts therefore preventing further spread and embarrassment for you that you have infected your friends computers, albeit unknowingly.
Secondly you will receive an email usually from some sort of Postmaster address stating that your email failed to the bogus address you set up.
This is your indication that your computer is infected and that you need to update your security and spyware software and scan your computer to try and find and delete the problem.
They go on to suggest the usual virus protection systems that we all probably use and not opening emails from anyone wer're not sure of etc.etc. All the usual common sense approaches in fact.
However, as a very simple thing to do, I felt that, on balance, this is probably a very good idea as even the very best anti virus measures can never be 100% certain of preventing attacks.
So, I've done it.
Any comments from other members?
This is the gist of it:
Advice About Online Virus And Other Attacks
Recently a warning was given regarding online attacks such as viruses which, after infecting your computer, then e mail themselves to all your contacts within your contact list.
In order to give you an indication if your computer has been infected and also to prevent you inadvertently sending it on to all your contacts, there is a simple thing that you can do.
In your e mail contact list, create a “New Contact”
As a contact name use “AAAAA”
As a contact E mail address use (e-mail address removed). or something similar ensuring that it will be the first contact on your list.
If your computer gets infected via e mail and the malicious program attempts to send itself to all your contacts it will try the bogus one that you set up first.
Firstly it won’t be able to successfully send to that address and will not continue any further through your contacts therefore preventing further spread and embarrassment for you that you have infected your friends computers, albeit unknowingly.
Secondly you will receive an email usually from some sort of Postmaster address stating that your email failed to the bogus address you set up.
This is your indication that your computer is infected and that you need to update your security and spyware software and scan your computer to try and find and delete the problem.
They go on to suggest the usual virus protection systems that we all probably use and not opening emails from anyone wer're not sure of etc.etc. All the usual common sense approaches in fact.
However, as a very simple thing to do, I felt that, on balance, this is probably a very good idea as even the very best anti virus measures can never be 100% certain of preventing attacks.
So, I've done it.
Any comments from other members?
Last edited:
