Hi everyone
There are a few members who have unfortunately picked up one or another of the
nasty v-i-r-u-s-e-s going around. There are extensive filters in place to
prevent most of these from being sent out via the mailing list itself, as well
as message size limit of 20Kb that usually blocks these sort of messages (and
many commercial ones).
A number of members have received infected mail recently - that's because
infected systems usually reply automatically to messages received (or to a
random selection of these). Birding-aus is set up so that when a message is
REPLIED to the reply goes to the ORIGINAL sender and not the mailing list. I
can't change that - it is a condition of the host, Vicnet.
So ...
1. member xyz sends a message to the list
2. it is received by member abc whose system is already infected with a worm or
other v-i-r-u-s
3. the v-i-r-u-s forces an automatic reply (to the original sender) that
includes an attachment. This attachment usually has a file extension that
tricks windows into opening the attachment, and PRESTO! Another person's
computer is infected.
How do you stay safe? Set up your email program and/or web browser to NEVER
open attachments, and make sure you never open any manually unless (A) you know
who they come from and more importantly (B) you know WHAT the attachment is and
WHY it has been sent to you.
A good policy is to NEVER open an attachment without doble-checking its source
and validity with the sender.
And some people wonder why we frown on attachments on this mailing list......
Russell Woodford
List Administrator
Birding-Aus is on the Web at
www.shc.melb.catholic.edu.au/home/birding/index.html
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message
"unsubscribe birding-aus" (no quotes, no Subject line)
to
|
