Is There A Name For This Virus?

[cousinlucky]

I have a friend who has informed me that the names in her email address book are getting Viagra ads containing no subject. She also says that the only way that she can email me is to hit reply. If she creates a new email it just comes back to her.

Has anyone heard of this type of Malware?? Thanks!!

[MASONTX]

Do you have clamav installed? If not, install it and run a virus check.

[Lazydog]

Your friend using Linux or windows?

[jayd512]

Something similar happened to me several months ago. Turns out my email account was compromised, so I simply changed the password.

[cousinlucky]

I do not know what operating system she is using but her email account is at speakeasy.net

[elija]

She should change her email password immediately. And then run a local virus scan. If running Windows she should get a Linux rescue CD from a different PC and use that to scan. Some of these modern nasties can over-ride Windows virus scanners, which they can't do if they are not running.

On the advice of Windows using friend , once she is happy her PC is clear, she should

Download the Avira virus scanner
Download malwarebytes
Disconnect from the Internet
Uninstall any virus scanner already running
Reboot
Install Avira and Malwarebytes
Reboot
Reconnect to the Internet and update them

Additionally, make sure she is behind a firewall.

[jayd512]

That's a great series of steps, elija.
Excellent advice!

[cousinlucky]

She is using windows xp ( it hurts just to type it because that is what forced me to use Linux. ) I will send your advice to her Elija
but I do not think she is going to heed it.

[TaZMAniac]

but I do not think she is going to heed it.

Depending on her internet provider and if she's infected with a botnet she will heed that advice when her ISP sends her a letter of service termination.

I know that Comcast and several other ISP's are now starting to do this. Several of our customers have called us in a panic because of botnet viruses on their systems were detected by their ISP and they received letters and phone calls that their service would be terminated if it wasn't cleaned up in a timely manner.

Malwarebytes and a virus scanner usually do the trick.

[cousinlucky]

She emailed me about a bogus email she recently received:

Attention: Speakeasy Account Owner,

This message comes from your ( Speakeasy Network Security ) messaging admin
department to All E-mail Account Users. We notice that the Network is
vulnerable ( open to attack ) and we are presently upgrading our data base
to prevent your Web mail/ E-mail account to be lost or hacked.

We have come up with a software that will prevent your email account to be
lost or hacked which entails that you Download and Install/Run it into your
system to initially protect your data till we complete the upgrading process
by clicking the below link:

Click Here To Download And Install/Run The Software

WARNING!!! E-mail account owners who refuses to download and install the
software will be open to attack and we will not be held responsible if you
loose your email account.

Network Security Department
Speakeasy, Inc.
abuse@speakeasy.net


She called on the phone and was told that the email was bogus
but I'll bet a lot of Speakeasy users fell for it. Heaven help them!!