Today, someone in our help desk department had to rebuild a lady’s computer… again!!! We have to rebuild her computer about once every couple years, because she doesn’t understand a thing about viruses. As many times as we try to explain to her to stop opening unexpected attachments, she told us today, “I open everything - I want to see what people are sending me.” She just doesn’t get it. She won’t update her anti-virus subscription and insists on opening every attachment. Insane.
So if there ever was a bad practice, this is one of them. Also, people will argue with me, saying, “Some of these attachments are from people I know.”
I asked, “Did they call you up to tell you they’re going to send it, or write a lengthy email telling you about this surprise file they’re sending you? Do you think its Christmas , everytime you get a file attachment? Maybe they’re sending you a belated Birthday present?”
She didn’t appreciate my sarcasm, but oh well… in a nutshell, I told her these people are not even sending the files, but their virus infected computers are doing it for them, and thus the virus is trying to infect her computer.
Here are the guidelines for file attachments that I give everyone:
1. If you recieve a file unexpectedly from someone you know, or a stranger (either case applies… listen up!), and they haven’t emailed you before to tell you to expect it, or talked to you on the phone, or perhaps they haven’t talked to you in 10 years…. DON’T OPEN IT! Contact this person first - they might appreciate knowing that their computer is sending out strange files….. then again, read point number 2 - another infected computer may have sent the file on their behalf.
2. If someone says they recieved a file from you, but you didn’t send it, and you’re sure your virus protection is on and working well, this is a case where SOMEONE else’s stupid, virus infected computer sent out a file (usually another copy of the virus) on your behalf. The only way to avoid this is to not give out your email address to people who don’t keep their anti-virus programs updated. Just avoid these types of people (haha - kidding). This is technically called email address spoofing.
There’s a story I recall happening late last year (2003), when viruses started spoofing addresses. One of the groups of staffers we support do the administration for a national organization. They handle the membership information, payments, etc., so they are at one time or another in contact with these thousands of people around the world who are in the organization. Someone within the organization got one of these viruses and it started sending out messages to people on behalf of the PRESIDENT of the organization!!! This virus didn’t only send a nice file attachment, but it had a message behind it - Basically, whoever received this email got a nice message with a subject of “YOU ARE STUPID!” and then it went on and on about how the sender thought they were a complete idiot - just what these peope wanted to hear from the organization’s president, eh? A few of them demanded their money back and quit. Crazy…
3. Considering the story of point 2, don’t take an email with a virus attachment you aren’t expecting (as in point 1) too seriously - its a virus! It has no heart! It wants to heartlessly attack you AND your computer, and destroy your professional and personal relationships! Beware! Its a thing of the devil!
If you are someone who DOES open EVERY single attachment, as related in my story above, its possibly only by the grace of God that you are able to read this post and its warnings.