Tuesday, January 27, 2004

MyDoom Virus hits email.  Apparently, people who are stupid enough to open the attachment didn’t read this helpful post of mine from last week.

A rapidly spreading e-mail worm on Monday afternoon shut down e-mail systems at several large corporations and is causing problems for computer users connected to the Internet, security experts said.

Known as “MyDoom,” it is the fastest spreading e-mail worm ever, according to Network Associates, the Santa Clara, Calif.-based maker of McAfee Antivirus software. The company classified it as a “high alert,” its most severe status level.

Mydoom is wreaking havoc with businesses and home computer users, said Steven Sundermeier, product manager for Central Command, an anti-virus company in Medina, Ohio. Sundermeier said the worm is spreading fastest in the United States and Europe.

The virus spreads in an e-mail message that looks like it was garbled during its journey to the recipient’s in-box. The body text urges recipients to click on the attached file if the contents of the message are damaged or unreadable. The virus launches when the attachment is opened.

DON’T OPEN ATTACHMENTS IN EMAIL THAT’S NOT REQUESTED BY YOU.

I don’t care if it’s coming to you from your best friend or your sister. If you didn’t request the attached item or it’s an attached item that you are not expected to receive via email - DO NOT click on it!

Sheesh, people. It’s common sense.

[via OTB, although I’ve seen it mentioned all over the place.]