Spam/Mail bombing. What should I do?

[iamaboringperson]

 

[Lozrus]

These emails look like that are the W32.Swen.A virus trying to spread onto your machine.

You can find more information about it on the Symantec Web Site here

There's not much you can do to stop receiving these emails unless you can set up some sort of filtering on your email server.  You could configure your email client to only download headers of emails over 50k and then manually delete these emails rather than download them.

[shIva]

one of the best methods is to change your email address (if possible). next you could setup some spamfilter systems. most providers here have spamfiltermechanisms.

[iamaboringperson]

@Lozrus

I knew it was a virus of some kind ;-)
I just don't run EXE files that are emailed to me by a stranger. I also ususally run Linux! ;-)

There's not much you can do to stop receiving these emails unless you can set up some sort of filtering on your email server. You could configure your email client to only download headers of emails over 50k and then manually delete these emails rather than download them.

The filter on this email account only allows me to either block the email, or send it to various folders(I choose trash) according to the content, the subject, or the sender.

The trouble with blocking the emails, is that they have all those stupid randomly generated characters in them. :-(


@shIva

one of the best methods is to change your email address (if possible).

Yep, I am already using a different account, which has so far been spam free.
I keep this one around to recieve any email from people who don't know about the new account.
(I switched email accounts due to the exessive advertising now...)

[Steady]

Thanks for that information Lozrus. I have been experiencing similar problems for about the same amount of time. What a pain!!! At least it seems to be fixable.

[amigamad]

you could try this software sa proxy to filter spam its free. :-)

[Tomas]

I get around 50 of this a day now, its annoying as hell  :-x

It is a virus called win32/swen. If you run win2k/xp, i hope you have your system fully patched, or you will be infected by just reading the mail itself. You usually get 2 mails, one saying delivery failure, message from admin or similar, if you read this mail, it automaticly execute the attachments. Pretty unsecure, why i hate windows.

[amigamad]

For about 1 week my yahoo email adrress .had loads of virus emails and was over there 6 mb limit with some saying someone at hyperion . :-)


Also get avg antivirus the freeware version as it scans your pop 3 mail the link to the site is here avg antivirus

[Lando]

I have been gettiong some very annoying email messages relating to a product which increases your penis length and virility.  

This is very embarassing as they are being sent to me here at work, and I get 5 or 6 each day, all exactly the same but they are from different email addresses all the time so I cannot block them.

I am trying to find out if I can take action against the company selling the product (spam has been made illegal here in the UK)

[Lozrus]

Anyone using Windows who has problems with spam should check out SpamPal which is a superb, very powerful and free spam filter that can be run on a local PC and should work with any email client.

The trouble is that it can't really work for viruses as they don't usually originate from normal spam sources. In fact they generally originate from the PC's of people who know you (as the virus will ahve found your email address by scanning someone's address book).  Although the 'From:' address is generally faked so it is not alway obvious.

Most viruses do die out though, for about two weeks last month when the Sobig.F virus was rampant, the email server that I maintain at work pulled out 200 - 250 infected emails a day.)  In between virus explosions it's usually about 10 - 20.

If you are using Windows then get a virus killer of some sort. Norton 2003 is pretty good and does scan all email traffic for viruses.

When one particular virus is a problem then just banning emails by subject line is often pretty good (most email viruses use a fixed list of subject lines) and means you can delete the mail from your server rather than be forced to download it. Use the Symantec web site to look up information on the virus that is causing problems, they often provide a list of possible subject lines.


Lozrus

[bhoggett]

@iamaboringperson

Same here. All you can do is filter them out I'm afraid, and hope it blows over eventually. Obviously no such mails should ever be opened, and under no circustances should the attachment be activated.

I had hoped that this would stop when the SoBig virus became inactive, but it seems the virus fiends are overactive recently.

I admit I'm getting a bit fed up with it now. Spam adverts trying to sell me viagra and other such services I can put up with (they're par for the course and get filtered anyway), but these periodic but intense virtual mailbombs are getting a bit much.

[Lo]

@all

Now I'VE  been receiving tons of spam/virus email ! :madashell:

Seems a lot come frrom the A.Org forwarding address :-(

[cecilia]

MS NEVER sends out messages. ever, never.
delete as soon as you see a message like this and NEVER download any file.

i never have used outlook or any of the MS mail programs. they suck. and that's one of the common ways to get virus's.

use a software firewall (ZoneAlarm works great). if you are on windows, use Opera. it's the most secure browser.

or use linux, or amiga/pegasos.

[Red_Melons]

BT's Email Protection is free if you are on one of their monthly packages, and does a good job of stopping these mails/viruses getting to you. I was getting about 250 per day until I registered for  Email Protection.

Do other ISP's provide a similar service?

[Acill]

, I have been receiving a hell of alot of spam supposedly from MS(and other sources), most of the spam is around 150K in size(it usually contains an .exe attatchment).

I've been getting them every day as well. I think it may have come from the @amiga.org address here. My guess is someone took our addresses off the user list. It seems to have slowed down a lot since I removed my email off my settings.

It is a virus so do not run that exe no matter what!!