topic Re: BEWARE of an "e-cigarette" E-mail! in Community Chat

BEWARE of an "e-cigarette" E-mail!

sfnative — Sat, 14 Nov 2015 08:31:16 GMT

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted you to be aware of a malware "e-cigarette" email sent to me using the first half of my email address as the recipient. Having seen this, I deleted it immediately, but failed to empty my trash can.

What occurred was that the malware, like a live virus, latched onto my memory and basically kept it going in a continuous loop, using 100% of my memory and making it next to impossible to function on my laptop.

Having finally decided to take a look at my trash can, I found it there, so deleted it. However, I also found it BACK in my "deleted" email a day later.

My husband has done a great deal of work on my laptop, so I'm able to function Please do be aware of this malware connected to an "e-cigarette" email.

Re: BEWARE of an "e-cigarette" E-mail!

Puzzle Piece — Sat, 14 Nov 2015 15:47:23 GMT

Thanks for the info.

Re: BEWARE of an "e-cigarette" E-mail!

brewhaha — Sat, 14 Nov 2015 18:15:16 GMT

Another reason why smoking is bad for you.

Re: BEWARE of an "e-cigarette" E-mail!

sfnative — Sat, 14 Nov 2015 21:57:50 GMT

@brewhaha wrote:
Another reason why smoking is bad for you.

@brewhaha

Have no idea why I was targeted for this email, as I don't smoke. Point is that it seems to be targeted to just about anyone.

Re: BEWARE of an "e-cigarette" E-mail!

Montana — Sun, 15 Nov 2015 15:36:53 GMT

I did not know an un-opened, deleted email virus could infect a computer. Would the same thing happen if it had been left un-opened in the inbox? Does anyone know?

I have always seen warnings about not opening suspicious emails but never about trashing them.

Re: BEWARE of an "e-cigarette" E-mail!

JustJazzmom — Sun, 15 Nov 2015 15:46:10 GMT

It used to be that if you opened an e mail and clicked on the attachment that you got infected but this website says that all it needs is a single click to open the e mail and get infected with malware. It is passed through HTML or java script that has not been blocked previously or disabled by your computer.

Re: BEWARE of an "e-cigarette" E-mail!

dooBdoo — Sun, 15 Nov 2015 18:17:34 GMT

Thanks for this good reminder, @sfnative.

@JustJazzmom's article is correct and still timely and very important.

In addition, I want to add an article which explains that any email (whether from a reputable company or from a criminal) can send information as soon as you open it. Sorry for the length... this is only an excerpt, but I know some posters prefer not to use links -- use the safe link to read the entire article (or search for "Ways to Avoid Email Tracking"):

~~~~~~

""By now you probably know that browsing the web leaves you open to tracking by Internet service providers, website operators and advertisers. But less well known is that you can be tracked SIMPLY BY OPENING AN EMAIL.

Merely clicking or tapping to open a message can transmit to the sender not only that you opened it, but also where you were when you did so and on what device, among other things.

The technology has been used by email marketers and Nigerian fraudsters for more than a decade.

But more recently, it has become a tool used by employers, sales people, bill collectors, lawyers, political candidates, nonprofit fund-raisers...

...Here’s how it works:

The sender of the email embeds a so-called web bug or pixel tracker into the content of the message or possibly inside an attached PDF, Word or PowerPoint. These bugs are 1-by-1 pixel images (tinier than tiny), which are invisible to the recipient. When the email or document is opened, the bug triggers your device to contact the sender’s server and convey all sorts of information...

There are some things you can do to avoid having your email activity monitored. Perhaps the easiest defense is to adjust the settings of your email program so there is no image rendering.

It used to be set that way by default but last year, in a boon to marketers, Gmail made the setting an opt-out feature and many other email providers followed suit.

Disabling images will sift and block images from incoming emails, including those tiny, pixel-size tracking bugs. You can click on the missing images you want to see and which ones you don’t.

“A more advanced technique is to construct a personal firewall that blocks images,” said Gerald Friedland, director of audio and multimedia research at the International Computer Science Institute at the University of California, Berkeley.

Or, he said, you could simply turn off your Wi-Fi while opening and reading email messages. This, of course, assumes you aren’t checking your email on your provider’s website but rather using a retrieval program like Apple Mail or Outlook.

And don’t click on any attachment while connected, nor a link within the message, even if it’s the unsubscribe button.

“The unsubscribe link is the most clicked item in emails so it’s often what they use to track you,” said H.D. Moore, a senior researcher with the Internet security consultant Rapid7.

“As soon as you click on it, they know everything about you.”

Besides when, where and on what device you opened the message, an email sender can also tell how long you looked at the message and if you opened other windows while you had the message displayed.

Also transmitted is if you saved, forwarded or deleted the message, how many times you subsequently opened the message plus various details about your device’s operating system and settings..."

source: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/25/technology/personaltech/ways-to-avoid-email-tracking.html?_r=0

Re: BEWARE of an "e-cigarette" E-mail!

sfnative — Sun, 15 Nov 2015 18:34:52 GMT

@dooBdoo

@JustJazzmom

In just the last week, I declined an invitation to receive informational and sales emails from a Hematology/Oncology consortium with whom I am a patient. This also included information pertaining how to create an account so that the practice(s) could communicate with me, which is par for the course in clinical practices these days.

Per usual, I read through Policies & Procedure and Privacy Policy. It was while reading through the Privacy pages that I came to learn that by clicking on "Accept" at the end, I would provide them permission to sell and/or share any or all of my personally identifiable information with just about anyone. Anyone!

I had never seen such a policy expressed. Yes, I'd seen those which expressed intent to share with corporate partners, etc., but not this infinite sharing which I was reading.

Though I did not "Accept," I came to learn that by simply clicking on the Privacy Policy page to read it caused their system to "Accept" me.

Needless to say, I was furious and have found it necessary to make an appointment with the Business Manager of the local practice where my hematologist is located, as they were unwilling and unable affect a change over the phone.

My message here is to please read the Policies & Procedures and Privacy Policies, as you really need to know what permissions you're granting them. Could end up being something very far reaching, as in my case.

Re: BEWARE of an "e-cigarette" E-mail!

dooBdoo — Sun, 15 Nov 2015 19:17:00 GMT

@Montana wrote:
I did not know an un-opened, deleted email virus could infect a computer. Would the same thing happen if it had been left un-opened in the inbox? Does anyone know?

I have always seen warnings about not opening suspicious emails but never about trashing them.

@ Montana, I'm sorry I just now saw your post. To my knowledge, the mere presence of an email message can't install malware -- the recipient has to at least open it (either in their "inbox," in the "spam" or "junk" folder, or in the trash) before anything can be activated. That's not how the software works. But that one simple click, even by mistake, can cause all sorts of problems. For that reason, it's essential to activate as much filtering and safety/security measures as possible and to select (but don't open) suspicious messages and completely remove them from all boxes/folders.

Re: BEWARE of an "e-cigarette" E-mail!

Himi lover — Sun, 15 Nov 2015 19:15:06 GMT

That's weird. I got that e-cig email last week. I didn't open anything, thought it strange. Just deleted it. Thanks for the warning.

Re: BEWARE of an "e-cigarette" E-mail!

Montana — Sun, 15 Nov 2015 22:37:04 GMT

@dooBdoo, @sfnative said she did not open the email. Immediately deleted it and it went to trash. I don't see where she clicked on anything. This is what I don't understand. How could simply deleting an e-mail infect a computer?