Computing

Systems

description of our hardware

Applications

Unix applications software

Calclabs

our instructional systems

Computing Help Pages

Misc. Help Topics - access restricted to valid user or Math Computers

Diskspace Information

Information on managing your disk space [access restricted]

Fighting Spam

Information on combating junk mail [access restricted]

Forwarding E-Mail

How to send your e-mail to another address

Virus Information

Information on current computer viruses

Webmail

Accessing your e-mail via the web [access restricted]

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Admin Pages

admin access only

Password Update

Change your existing Math Department Linux/Unix Password

Virus Information

General Rule:
DO NOT OPEN AN ATTACHMENT UNLESS YOU ARE EXPECTING TO RECEIVE IT

Because we use Unix systems for sending, receiving, and reading e-mail, we are fairly immune to the standard viruses. Still, if you receive an odd looking e-mail with the sender asking you to open and execute the file, don't do it unless you know that the sender actually sent you the file. Just because a familiar name is on the From: line in the e-mail, it doesn't mean that they sent it.

July 2004 e-mail virus update

W32.BEAGLE.AG@MM info. Also known as Worm.Bagle.AF.2.

If you receive a message informing you that an email you purportedly sent could not be delivered, yet you did not send the orignal message, then it is probably not your problem. Someone else with an infected computer is sending emails with forged source addresses. If you do check email from Microsoft Windows, make sure you have the latest updates and a current virus scanner.

The Klez Virus

Many of our account holders have informed us that they have received emails from people they do not know regarding messages that were supposedly sent from their accounts. These messages often include warnings that the email sent from our account holder's email address included a virus. The cause of this confusion is the Klez virus, and if you are receiving such messages, then someone you know is infected with it. Klez is an email virus that attacks Microsoft Outlook. Once it has infected a computer, it emails itself out again, using the email addresses stored in Outlook's Address book as the return address.

In other words, If you are receiving such messages, someone had your email address in their Outlook Address book, got infected with Klez, and now their computer is sending out emails that claim they come from you. Hence, you are getting the replies from people these emails are being sent to, not your acquaintance who has Klez.

Note: Often these messages are not from a person, but are from a "mail daemon." This sounds bad, but a "mail daemon" is just a program that runs on a mail server and watches for emails. What is probably happening is that some of the emails being sent out with your email address on them are being caught by mail deamon programs, which are noticing either the attached virus, or possibly that the email address of the sender does not exist, and sending them back to you.

Unfortunately, if you are receiving such messages there is not much you can do about Klez. The most important thing to know is that Klez only attacks Microsoft Outlook, so if you are using your math account, you are not the one infected. If you are using Outlook at home you should run some form of virus protection, so you do not contract the virus and just increase the problem. Also, you should encourage all of your acquaintances to use virus protection, or better yet, not to use Microsoft Outlook.

For more information about Klez, see:

McAfee.com and Wired News.