Virus from fake Facebook email

[DVS]

There is a new virus (Trojan horse) out there. It comes in a seudo Facebook confirmation email. See the attached pic of email I received.

The attached file is a virus, so don't open it. It will open a file named 123.exe. You can Google 123.exe for more information.

I have AVG free virus scan and it found it. I received the email and I don't even have a Facebook account! The email wasn't even sent to me, just an address similar to mine. I don't know how it defaulted to me.

Oh, if you need antivirus software and you are like me and don't have any cash...try AVG. I just updated to version 9. Here's the place to get it.

email info
Bredolab botnet attack

 

[ThorkelGriersen]

I received the email and I don't even have a Facebook account! The email wasn't even sent to me, just an address similar to mine. I don't know how it defaulted to me.

It was sent to you -- it just doesn't look like it. The "Pump and Dump" guys use that trick all the time. Never open what looks like someone else's e-mail sent to you accidentally.

 

[Lizzie_Borden]

And OMG, FB *does not* change people's passwords and email them to them!

Egads.

 

[DVS]

It was sent to you -- it just doesn't look like it. The "Pump and Dump" guys use that trick all the time. Never open what looks like someone else's e-mail sent to you accidentally.

I opened it on purpose. I'm a techy from way back and knew I could get rid of it, if it was a virus. For some of us it's all in the adventure.

I'm not complaining that I was sent this email. That's not the purpose of this thread. The purpose of this thread is to inform those who 1) aren't aware of the virus and 2) aren't able to remove it if they are curious and open the attachment and 3) I'm really just a nice guy, most of the time.

Then, with some investigation I found that this thing has been happening for about five months now, and thought it a bit strange that nobody has said anything. Aren't we all in this together (even those who live in Canada)? So see number 3) above.

 

[DVS]

And OMG, FB *does not* change people's passwords and email them to them!

Egads.

I don't have a FB (Facebook) account. I'm not one of those (most) people. Of course I assumed it was a fake email, and maybe a virus. Like I said to ThorkelGriersen in the above post, I love the adventure. So call me strange, it's just me.

Now maybe Facebook told it's members to watch out for this email when it came out back in October, I don't know. And if so, that's fine. But, not being a Facebook member doesn't seem to keep one from getting the email. I'm just wondering when the mass hysteria about this was. Was I asleep?

Well, I may have just answered my own question. Working nights for the past few years (and thank God I'm no longer doing that) , I probably was a sleep if and when anyone mentioned that I might receive this email.

So, I guess I'm just notifying all of the other people who work (worked) nights and missed the mass hysteria back in October. People send me emails all the time about "the worst virus ever" and "it will destroy your hard disk" and on and on that are totally fake. I was just trying to be helpful is all in explaining this one was real.

Just curious, Lizzie...did the Facebook people offer up any kind of notice to it's members when this thing started? If not, they should have.

 

[catalina_francisco]

I opened it on purpose. I'm a techy from way back and knew I could get rid of it, if it was a virus. For some of us it's all in the adventure.

I'm not complaining that I was sent this email. That's not the purpose of this thread. The purpose of this thread is to inform those who 1) aren't aware of the virus and 2) aren't able to remove it if they are curious and open the attachment and 3) I'm really just a nice guy, most of the time.

Then, with some investigation I found that this thing has been happening for about five months now, and thought it a bit strange that nobody has said anything. Aren't we all in this together (even those who live in Canada)? So see number 3) above.

Thanks for alerting everyone. It is a pain we have to question everything that comes into our email, or for that matter shows up in Google searches as I found last week. I opened what was supposed to be a news item on ice skating and it was a virus. Fortunately it is F's area of expertise so it was soon removed, but as he doesn't appreciate having to do these things at home if it can be helped, I just make it a rule to not open any emails which look suspicious or arrive uninvited.

Catalina

 

[Lizzie_Borden]

Just curious, Lizzie...did the Facebook people offer up any kind of notice to it's members when this thing started? If not, they should have.

I don't remember

But then, I struggle to remember what I had for lunch the day before yesterday, so I may not be the best person to ask.

That one though, reminded me of a standard phishing email for banks we get here... I get them often, and I always laugh because they're for banks I don't have an account with!

So, I guess I'm just notifying all of the other people who work (worked) nights and missed the mass hysteria back in October. People send me emails all the time about "the worst virus ever" and "it will destroy your hard disk" and on and on that are totally fake. I was just trying to be helpful is all in explaining this one was real.

And that's good of you.

 

[BiBunny]

Yeah, I've gotten an email supposedly from Facebook to several of my characters' accounts, none of whom actually have Facebook. I figured it was a virus or a phishing scam, so I never opened them. But thanks for letting me know for sure what it was, DVS!

 

[ThorkelGriersen]

I opened it on purpose. I'm a techy from way back and knew I could get rid of it, if it was a virus. For some of us it's all in the adventure.

I'm not complaining that I was sent this email. That's not the purpose of this thread. The purpose of this thread is to inform those who 1) aren't aware of the virus and 2) aren't able to remove it if they are curious and open the attachment and 3) I'm really just a nice guy, most of the time.

Then, with some investigation I found that this thing has been happening for about five months now, and thought it a bit strange that nobody has said anything. Aren't we all in this together (even those who live in Canada)? So see number 3) above.

Yeah, I know that you are pretty good at this stuff. Thanks for warning the less-than-tech-savy.

However, many people aren't and curosity will lead people to sneak a peak. If someone gets snail mail addressed to someone else in the mail box and the envelope is unsealed, there is an almost universal tendency to look at the other person's mail.

Another "Pump and Dump" [a scam to boost an essentially worthless stock and then sell out for great profits] is to call telephone numbers in up-scale neighborhoods and hang up if a person answers but leave a message, for a putative relative or friend, when a machine answers, that a certain stock is going to go through the roof because of a new Government contract and a tip to buy now and make a killing.

I seem to get a number of these as cell phone text messages !!