I'm not sure this is exactly an "Other Security" issue, but here goes...

[sk]

I have noticed over the past few weeks that one particular email account of mine has been inundated with virus-laden emails. It's with my main ISP but not an account I used regularly at all. It's a good thing I began the practice a few months ago of disabling the viewer in O.E. At least that kept the viruses from running semi-automatically. Each and every email is empty save for an attachment. I have recently begun using MailWasher and so I can view the email headers safely from the ISP server and decide what to do with it from there. My question is this: How does one 'decipher' the information that is available in the headers, and what steps can/should one take in terms of trying to trace it back to the ISP of the spammer (assuming the spammer has done at least an adequate job in trying to cover his/her tracks), bounce it back to the spammer, etc?

And while I already know that the best defense against this sort of thing, aside from the computer software types of things, is to try to not alienate anyone over the Internet, I'm looking for a more realistic type of solution. (HAHAHAHAHAH ;D ;D ;D ;D :D)

(That reminds me of a line that Roz in "Frasier" said that I always thought was hysterical. When Frasier found out Roz was pregnant, he made some sort of comment to her about how surprised he was she didn't use birth control. She looked at him and said: "I DO use birth control; I'm on the pill. But the pill is only effective 99 out of a hundred times; how in the world do you expect me to best THOSE kind of odds?" That Roz. She was really funny.)

sk

[spy1]

sk - When you right-click on the email (without opening it, of course) , you go to the "Properties" field and click on the "Details" tab. All the info about where the email came from will be right there (including, in most cases, the senders email address, IP address and their IP account identification no.).

The only possible way I'd try to contact any given ISP about it is if all (or most) of the infected emails were coming from the same exact source - and "retaliation" of any kind is not an option, since most virus' received are coming either from people who don't even know they're infected or from a faked address to start with.

Keep using your common sense - that's your "solution". Pete

[sk]

OK, thanks. I just thought I'd read about trying to trace it back to the ISP, not for retalliation, but more as a consideration since, as you said, it's most likely at the expense of whoever's account is being hacked.

sk