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A Recurring Concern
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01-19-2008, 04:04 PM
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#1 (permalink) | ||||||||
Technical Guru
Posts: 781
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Southern NC
Age: 26
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A Recurring Concern
Even with all the websites out there with tips to prevent it, virus infections seem to be a constant threat. I recently received an email from a friend who was dumb founded about how she got a virus. She said she only opens emails from her family and friends and only downloads attachments from people she trusts. And while I agree that she had the right idea, there is one minor problem.
How do you know its really the person you think it is? I'll explain. Mail servers are extremely vulnerable to hackers. They must be otherwise they would be non-functional. For a mail server to send an email, they use the simple mail transfer protocol, which is a very old, rarely revised, and highly vulnerable data transfer protocol. It uses terminal based commands to send and receive unencrypted messages across WANs (Wide Area Networks EG: the web). A hacker can use knowledge of these commands to hijack a mail server and send emails from a faked address. Yes I know for certain this is true because I received an email from myself. That what when I first encountered the smile hoax. So I'll add some tips to increase your security a bit. 1). Before you open ANY email, Make sure your mail server supports extended headers. This information includes the originating email as well as the server and host IP address. Make a note of these, so that if anything does happen, you can contact your ISP and take further action. If you aren't sure how to show extended headers with your email service, contact the administrator for that service and they will walk you through it. 2). This is quite possibly the most important thing you can do. Before you open any downloaded attachment, scan it, scan it SCAN IT! It doesn't matter who sent it to you, your parents, your best friend, or your girlfriend / boyfriend. Data sent over unsecured connections can be intercepted and infected in transit. 3). Just because a mail server carries a big company name, doesn't mean it's secure. Hotmail, Microsofts proprietory mail service has been infected on multiple occasions. Their anti-virus also misses quite a bit. Having multiple Anti-Virus options never hurts either. 4). Last, but definitely not least. Be sensible. Opening a powerpoint presentation, or an executible file (.exe) just because your best friend sent it to you is just asking for trouble. And if you need any further help protecting yourself from the growing number of online threats, send me a message via pm or email and I'll give you a list of decent firewalls and anti-virus software. And remember, Have fun, but BE CAREFUL!
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 Magic is the word we use when we can't think of a logical explaination for a phenomenal occurence
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01-20-2008, 05:45 AM
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#7 (permalink) | ||||||||
CUSA Moderator
Posts: 4,491
Blog Entries: 1
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Belgium
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Thanks Ice!
/puts dictionary and magnifying glass away No, seriously, I think it may help a lot of people on here. Just one question? I haven't had a virus since years ... should I worry? Or does it mean that nobody even wants to bother to send me anything at all? I must admit that I don't play the chain letter game very well ... maybe that's why they stopped sending stuff! Kay! Shush! This is Ice's thread not yours!
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