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URGENT - PLEASE READ - NOT A JOKE
PASS THIS ON!
IF A PERSON CALLED SIMON ASHTON (SIMON25@HOTMAIL.CO.UK) CONTACTS YOUTHROUGH EMAIL DON'T OPEN THE MESSAGE. DELETE IT BECAUSE HE IS AHACKER!!
TELL EVERYONE ON YOUR LIST BECAUSE IF SOMEBODY ON YOUR LIST ADDSHIM THEN YOU WILL GET HIM ON YOUR LIST. HE WILL FIGURE OUT YOUR IDCOMPUTER ADDRESS, SO COPY AND PASTE THIS MESSAGE TO EVERYONE EVEN IFYOU DON'T CARE FOR THEM AND FAST BECAUSE IF HE HACKS THEIR EMAIL HEHACKS YOUR MAIL TOO!!!!!.....
Anyone-using Internet mail such as Yahoo, Hotmail, AOL and so on..This information arrived this morning, Direct from both Microsoft andNorton. Please send it to everybody you know who has access to theInternet. You may receive an apparently harmless e-mail titled 'MailServer Report'
If you open either file, a message will appear on your screen saying:'It is too late now, your life is no longer beautiful.'
Subsequently you will LOSE EVERYTHING IN YOUR PC,And the person who o sent it to you will gain access to your name,e-mail and password.
This is a new virus which started to circulate on Saturdayafternoon.. AOL has already confirmed the severity, and the antivirus software's are not capable of destroying it .
The virus has been created by a hacker who calls himself 'life owner'..
PLEASE SEND A COPY OF THIS E-MAIL TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS, And ask themto PASS IT ON IMMEDIATELY!
Unless the person includes a malicious file along with their email (NEVER open attachments from people you don't know), such as a worm or virus, the person really has no way of accessing your computer via this method unless you have not activated your firewall. Though if you have not activated your firewall or other intrusion detection software, e-mail hackers are the least of your worries.
The only thing a person can really do via server-side email clients, such as Hotmail, Yahoo or AOL is tell whether the email has been opened or not by embedding a simple image file, often a 1x1 pixel blank image that is stored on a server that reports access, and then watch their access logs to see who actually opened the image file. This simply tells the hacker which email addresses are active and thus they can then sell your email address to spammers and advertisers as "valid".
This is the reason most server-side email clients (and even client-side email clients such as Outlook) block image downloads by default, allowing you to view images only from trusted sources. It isn't to protect your computer, it's to protect your e-mail address from unwanted spam.
Even though this email is a hoax, it does serve a very useful purpose. It brings attention to the real threats out there and makes the public at large more aware of the real vulnerabilities that may be lurking in their computer system.
A simple list of good computing practices can virtually eliminate any worries you may have about your online life.
These are just a few simple steps to a happier, healthier computer, and in most cases, a worry-free online experience for you.
The only thing a person can really do via server-side email clients, such as Hotmail, Yahoo or AOL is tell whether the email has been opened or not by embedding a simple image file, often a 1x1 pixel blank image that is stored on a server that reports access, and then watch their access logs to see who actually opened the image file. This simply tells the hacker which email addresses are active and thus they can then sell your email address to spammers and advertisers as "valid".
This is the reason most server-side email clients (and even client-side email clients such as Outlook) block image downloads by default, allowing you to view images only from trusted sources. It isn't to protect your computer, it's to protect your e-mail address from unwanted spam.
Even though this email is a hoax, it does serve a very useful purpose. It brings attention to the real threats out there and makes the public at large more aware of the real vulnerabilities that may be lurking in their computer system.
A simple list of good computing practices can virtually eliminate any worries you may have about your online life.
- 1. Make sure the firewall built into your operating system is active at all times. (never turn it off)
- 2. Make sure your operating system is up-to-date.
- 3. Invest in a good "active scan" virus protection system such as McAfee, Kaspersky, Norton or AVG and keep it updated.
- 4. Invest in a good "active scan" malware program such as Malwarebytes, and keep it updated.
- 5. Backup your hard drive at least once a month, or use an active backup service to either an external hard drive or cloud. If you should ever have to reformat or even replace your hard drive, you won't lose your data.
- 6. Clean and defrag your hard drive at least once a month. You can also invest in a free program from IOBit called "Smart Defrag" which will defragment your computer whenever it is idle.
- 7. Never EVER open attachments or click on links in email from people you don't know. Even if it is from someone you do know, if it looks suspicious, don't click it!!
These are just a few simple steps to a happier, healthier computer, and in most cases, a worry-free online experience for you.
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