OT Questions: Anyone else getting all the MS Spam?

I've got some 250 by now, still incoming. The antivirus warns me not to open the attachments. I've taken to deleting them en masse on the server.

Cheers, Tvrtko

they have so many terms in the subject and sender fields. How are you deleting them?

Craig

Yes, about 75 or so this morning. Also a lot of "apology" notes for not being able to "deliver mail".

Reported evryone of the penile inhalers!

Oxmoron1 MFE Short tempered today :-)

It's almost impossible to stop them from downloading. The problem is that even though the text name of the sender says "Microsoft" or "MS", or something similar, the actual email address attached to the fake name is usually some random characters that is different every time, so blocking the sender will not stop any other messages. Also, the body of the message that shows some kind of Microsoft looking page is actually in html, so trying to filter on the text in the message doesn't work either because its not "real" text. All that is left is trying to filter the subject, and I've had little success with that.

I've gone to accessing my email through webmail first (for Earthlink it's webmail.earthlink.net) and deleting all the messages off the server before I open up my email program to get the valid messages.

Dave

I've bounced about 150 so far, but with dial-up, it's taking forever to download all this crap, even though it's all going direct to the trash (because that's where I send all my mail, then redirect what little I actually want to open--sad commentary!) Exactly how do you use webmail (and why couldn't those bozos at Earthlink technical support turn me on to this?)

Mark Schynert

sadly, earthlink used to be amazing. they were my first isp during the dial up days of the late 80's-early 90's. they've grown so much that their once first rate tech support, (they once spent 4 hours on the phone with me debugging an ssl problem) has gone to hell.

no, it's another random worm-out.

Yes - I've gotten 100+ just in the last 1/2 hour...and they're coming in as I type. I updated my Norton AV today - there is a known virus/worm out there and they have a definitions update for it. Since updating Norton has flagged a few of them as infected, but not all.

What a pisser...

Something else to be sure to do is to make sure that the Preview Pane is closed on your e-mail client - that way they don't truely "download".

Some Javascript worms may run from a Preview and not have to be physically trasnsferred to your system.

If you have Earthlink, just open your web browser and go to webmail.earthlink.net (no www in front). There you get a sign on screen where you type in your ID and password. That takes you to a screen where you can see what messages are on the server for you and you can open them, delete them (with or without opening them), send new emails. It is essentially a web-based email program and originally intended for use for accessing your email remotely. Most of the large ISPs have a similar service. I knew about Earthlink having it because I used to be with them.

Note that going in through webmail won't stop them sending the virus to your email space on the server. All you can do is go in and delete them before you download messages with your regular email program. HTH.

Dave

Only getting a few of each per day.

I simply enter them into the AOL filter and the posts slow down.

Another one received in the last few days is supposedly from an online flower vendor claiming that an order was charged to our account. Dissappeared after three or four automatic complaints.

Rember, never open the attachments.

Tom

I have Earthlink as an ISP- When I went and checked webmail, I found 19 of these messages in the SPAM folder. I have the auto-spam filter set to medium, and all of the bogus MS virus spams were in the SPAM folder. The nice thing about that folder is that the contents are not downloaded when you connect with your mail client.

Perhaps, but the damage to your account will have already happened. The optimum solution is to catch these at your ISP's outer gateway :)

abortion would work well.

in article dk%ab.582905$ snipped-for-privacy@news.easynews.com, e at snipped-for-privacy@verizon.net wrote on 9/20/03 11:34 AM:

And in the case of the spammer/hacker, it's not too late!

MB

nope 600th trimester would work.

Yes, retroactive abortion for spammers is always acceptable, and should be within the TOS of most reputable ISPs.

Since spammers voluntarily leave the Human race, it shouldn't even be a crime :)