[GLLUG] SoBig.F Spam

[Dpk]

On Tue, Aug 26, 2003 at 11:58:38PM -0400, Chick Tower wrote:

   I started getting SoBig spam messages on Sunday at this e-mail 
   address, which I hardly ever use, and I wondered how that could be.  
   It not only spams addresses in the address lists of infected PCs, it 
   spoofs at least some of those addresses in messages sent to other 
   people, so I've been getting automated messages from mail systems 
   saying my messages couldn't or wouldn't be delivered.  Today I 
   received some SoBig-generated messages purportedly from two posters 
   on this mailing list.  I suspect that this mailing list has somehow 
   been compromised, obviously by a computer running Windows.  Could 
   that be the mail server for this mailing list?  It might be that 
   someone receives this mailing list on a Windows PC and, when they 
   reply to someone who posted a message, the address is automatically 
   saved in their address book.  That sounds like something Outlook 
   would volunteer to do for users.
   [snip]

The mailing list is in no way "compromised".  The mail server is
running UNIX which isn't even capable of running a windows binary
worm/virus such as SoBig.  True of any mailing list, if you post, a
number of unknown people will receive your mail!  Anyone can subscribe
to this list and use your address for fun and/or profit.  You also run
the risk of a Windows user automatically saving your address to their
address book and automatically opening a Windows virus/worm on their
computer.

If I know of someone abusing this list, I would obviously disable the
address, but in general, posting to public forums will result in a
certain set of risks that you will have to mitigate.

dpk