Email spoofing concerns

[Shovel]

Right, I posted yesterday about an additional warning over the MyDoom virus and variants, but it's manner of distribution is concerning me.

For instance:

As well recieving the message to my old barrymail@ account, obviously picked up from the old Barrysworld board signiture, I've found that I've been recieving a selection of obscure postmaster notices, seeming to suggest that my address is being spoofed to send the virus as well.

To almost confirm my concern, I just recieved another copy of the virus from support at game dot net - again to my never used barrymail address.

So, can anyone shed some light on if there's anything that can be done about it? To both avoid it and also am I personally at any risk from the virus being distributed in this way?

 

[Scooba da Bass]

No, you can't do anything about it other than ensuring that your email address is nowhere public or in the address books of anyone who has the potential to be infected.

As for the personally at risk, I'm not exactly sure what you mean, all that's happening is that your email address is being placed as the sender's address, it's not anything to do with your machine or mailbox, it's just that the relays that block the infected mail read the sender field and send notification back to that address. To avoid infection follow the same procedure as you would with anything. Keep virus definitions up to date, don't run attachments unless you know what they are, and if you use OE turn off all the html junk.

 

[SilverHood]

Yeah, I'm getting bucket loads of delivery failures / virus emails.

I'd be worried about people using my domain name to send spam and stuff, but it's not originating from me, so can't really do anything about it.

Just pray that people watch the news, and take the hint to get some AV software on their PC's

 

[sibanac]

the worm reads outlook folders and some other mail app addressbooks.
If sameone infected has your address in its addressbook it will not only try to mail to you but chances are it will also spoof other mails with your address.

Safest thing to do is sign all your mails with a PGP signature.
Tell all people you know that you alwasy sign your mails with PGP and explain what its all about.

 

[Ch3tan]

I am getting the same postmaster warnings Shovel.

And to my main e-mail adress which I never give out (or so I thought :/)

 

[TheJkWhoSaysNi]

I'm getting the same problem... on my yahoo webmail account :-|

 

[xane]

Same here, on all my Hotmail, ISP and Domain addresses.

 

[Skyler]

Ahhhhh finally I know what that bloody thing is!!!

I've been getting failed sends etc. messages flooding into my inbox at the rate of like 2-5 per day... Opening them shows them coming 'from' a domain I own, but that domain I don't use any email addresses on, nor have I set up any email forwarding (regged through 123-reg.co.uk). I've been worried some bad thing was happening and I was gonna get plastered for it as I own the domain.. I'm not sure how the failed sends are making it to my inbox as there shouldn't really be anything linking them to my main email address... Totally an annoying problem and needs sorting somehow

 

[Cyfr]

I don't have any

 

[Tom]

I'm getting plenty, also plenty of viruses coming in as well. I had the same problem a few months ago with another virus.