Irene – is that you (or a fake)?

Discussion in 'malware problems & news' started by ronjor, Aug 26, 2011.

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  1. ronjor

    ronjor Global Moderator

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    http://blog.eset.com/2011/08/26/irene-is-that-you-or-a-fake
     
  2. dw426

    dw426 Registered Member

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    Why on earth would anyone fall for something like this? Coming from a friend or not, the latest info on it is a TV channel away. And, if you're in the area affected..you probably don't need to be told the latest news, what with all the wind, rain and things being blown about outside your door.
     
  3. Hungry Man

    Hungry Man Registered Member

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    Uhhh, if it's from a friend I can imagine many people falling for it.
     
  4. dw426

    dw426 Registered Member

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    Seriously? After everything people have gone through with malicious things on FB and Twitter, you'd still click some out of the blue link from a friend about the weather? (not saying you personally, just a general question) I'd find it extremely strange to receive such a thing even in my email. I might be able to see it if the person was right in the thick of things. But, that goes back to what I said about not really needing a link to know the current situation. If the local news isn't saying it, all the goings on outside your door would certainly.

    You don't open links sent to you even by your grandma without asking her first if she sent it. That isn't being computer smart now, that's simply a must.
     
  5. The Hammer

    The Hammer Registered Member

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    I don't do Facebook or twitter, never felt the need when they came out. Since then, I've read too many bad things from privacy concerns/breaches to malware problems. They sound like good places to test your security/privacy setups though.;) :D
     
  6. ronjor

    ronjor Global Moderator

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  7. Rmus

    Rmus Exploit Analyst

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    Re: Irene – is that you (or a fake)?

    Hi dw246,

    Unfortunately, I find it from time to time: a well-meaning friend wants to pass along the latest information on some event that is in the news.

    I just don't bother-- not because I'm afraid of a redirect to a malware site, but I just don't have time!

    In a discussion about this some years ago, I asked someone if, pre-email, she would mail with a stamp some notice like this to everyone in her address book! You can imagine her answer.

    From the article:

    Well, it's either a friend, or it's not. Surely one knows one's friends!

    That's a bit of a leap to conclusion!

    If you work with home users, you set up firm procedures and policies -- the article has good suggestions.

    And, have security protection in place to take care of accidents and cases where they let their guard down.

    regards,

    -rich
     
  8. The Hammer

    The Hammer Registered Member

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    I never said you could (hide an elephant ) and one of the big problems with privacy on Facebook are the people who run it. As it is there have been a number of articles detailing how usage has been falling off.
     
  9. Hungry Man

    Hungry Man Registered Member

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    I live in Manhattan and have had multiple emails saying "Here's the latest info, here's what zone we're in, blah blah blah" and I haven't hesitated to open a single one.
     
  10. dw426

    dw426 Registered Member

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    Tsk tsk :D You're kind of in the thick of it though, so you at least have a reason to look. A guy like me, in the middle of the country has no such reason, and therefore wouldn't glance twice. I'm also one of the evidently few people who shoot off a message or call to someone who sends me a link, to verify they actually sent it. Anyhow, stay safe, Hungry.
     
    Last edited: Aug 26, 2011
  11. vasa1

    vasa1 Registered Member

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    The context to keep in mind is that HM is actively looking for "zero-day" exploits as per a post elsewhere and, presumably, is capable of dealing with them.

    A casual reader of this thread may read HM's post and feel that someone with so many posts to their credit can't be wrong in opening each and every e-mail they receive :D
     
  12. dw426

    dw426 Registered Member

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    Since when did post count mean someone knew what they were talking about? :D I'm just teasing Hungry, I know he's a tester.
     
  13. Dark Shadow

    Dark Shadow Registered Member

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  14. Hungry Man

    Hungry Man Registered Member

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    Frankly, even if I were running nothing but MSE I'd be opening all of my emails. If I know who the email is from I don't even question it. If I don't know where the email is from... and the subject is blatantly spam ("Bai v1agruh 4dolla") I don't open it... if it seems to be a legit email I open it.

    The fact that I know I'm secure with my setup just means that I get to look at viagra ads too haha
     
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