Short eMails that say "check this out" or "here is the information you requested" and have a link for you to click.
iRumorMill.com Determination: Real
This is not really a virus but more of what is called in the computer world a
Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP), Bot or Spam Zombie. These send massive
amounts of emails from rouge running computer while the owners are totally
unaware. It isn't the end of the world if you are affected but it could be
embarrasing.
According to
Dell'
Sonic Wall, "It is estimated that there are up to 150 million compromised
computer systems – Zombies, spread throughout the globe."
If you get such a "bot" email do not click the link. It could simply be a spam
that sends you to a website adverting a product or it could send you to a
website that could potentially infect your computer with malware.
Spam Zombies have been around since 2006 but really went viral on the Internet
around 2011.
You will know you have one when some of your email contacts reply and ask you
about it. The problem may or may not be in your personal computer. Some advanced
versions have hacked into the mail servers at AOL and Yahoo.
How to solve the problem
If you think your computer is infected go to your Internet
Service Provider configuration, change your email password and run a full virus
scan of your computer system. Windows users should also make sure their
vulnerabilities protection is up to date. This is done by going to the system
folder in the control panel and running Windows Update.
If your online email server (Yahoo, AOL, etc.) is affected,
simply change the password.
Note: If the traffic is heavy, Yahoo will deactivate your email until you have
changed your password. When you try to access your email, you will be taken to
another page. This usually happens at the most inconvenient time. Don't panic,
it is an easy process.
Need anti-virus software? Click the Virus
Protection link at the top of this page.
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