This came in this morning, in this weeks edition of RootsWeb Review......for
those of you who do not receive this mail, I thought I would pass it along.
Hope it helps! :-)
Take
care,
Diana
philsbarbie(a)cei.net
VISIT OUR WEBPAGE!
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~philsbarbie/
AR-Archives Coordinator-
http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/ar/arfiles.htm
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2c. KLEZ VIRUS FOOLS AND ENTICES. Genealogists are not the only ones
being fooled by this relentless worm, which spoofs (forges) the "From"
address. Even the U.S. State Department's e-mail identity was forged by
it recently as Klez sent itself to law enforcement and media outlets
across the country.
Your editor and the RootsWeb HelpDesk have received hundreds of messages
lately from researchers fearful that RootsWeb is sending out these worm-
infested attachments. Relax. The virus is not coming from RootsWeb or
via any RootsWeb mailing list (which do not allow attachments anyway).
It is being sent to you privately by the infected computer (often
without the owner's knowledge), with a forged "From" e-mail address and
with all sorts of subjects lines, which Klez also steals.
There are several ways Klez can obtain your e-mail address:
--It may be in the sender's address book.
--The infected computer may find an unread message from you in
someone's inbox.
--It may appear on a webpage that is cached on the infected computer.
--It may appear in an old e-mail message that is stored on the
infected computer.
Depending on where Klez finds your e-mail address, it may use the
subject line or copy part of a post in an attempt to appear to be a
legitimate message. There is nothing your editor, the HelpDesk or anyone
at RootsWeb can do to stop this. This mail does not originate with, or
pass through, the RootsWeb mail servers.
Your best defense is to not open any attachments you receive via e-
mail, regardless of who the "From" person appears to be (use the real
e-mail address of your friend or family member to inquire if they have
sent you something with an attachment); keep your AntiVirus (AV)
software up-to-date and use it, and set your AV program to scan all
incoming e-mail or if the option is available, not to download infected
mail from the server.
Read more about Klez and the problems it is causing in an article by
Michelle Delio in Wired News, currently available at:
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,52765,00.html
Reliable information about computer viruses can be found at:
http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/vinfodb.html
http://dispatch.mcafee.com/virus_tips.asp?cid=1593
For a free online virus scan:
http://housecall.antivirus.com/pc_housecall/
For free antivirus protection:
http://www.grisoft.com/html/us_index.htm
Previously published in RootsWeb Review: Vol. 5, No. 21, 22 May 2002