The World of Grandpa Don

I have been Spoofed

The following was copied from the Norton  anti-virus web site. I went there because I received several messages reporting that I had sent email infected with W32 Klez. I had never sent any messages to these addresses and did not have their addresses in my book. (I changed the names in the example.)

Email spoofing
Some variants of this worm use a technique known as "spoofing." If so, the worm randomly selects an address that it finds on an infected computer. It uses this address as the "From" address that it uses when it performs its mass-mailing routine. Numerous cases have been reported in which users of uninfected computers received complaints that they sent an infected message to someone else.

For example, Don's friend Joe is using a computer that is infected with W32.Klez.E@mm; Joe is not using an antivirus program or does not have current virus definitions. When W32.Klez.gen@mm performs its emailing routine, it finds the email address of Don (from Joe's computer). It inserts Don's email address into the "From" portion of an infected message that it then sends to Joe's friend Bill. Bill then contacts Don and complains that he sent him an infected message, but when Don scans his computer, Norton AntiVirus does not find anything--as would be expected--because his computer is not infected.

If you are using a current version of Norton AntiVirus and you have the most recent virus definitions, and a full system scan with Norton AntiVirus set to scan all files does not find anything, you can be confident that your computer is not infected with this worm.

So, since I do use Norton, and my virus definitions are up to date, and I have done several full scans, ... I do not have the virus. BUT ... One of you probably does! The infected computer is using my email address, plucked from its address book to send infected email in an attempt to replicate itself. 

So, PLEASE ... get a good AntiVirus program and use it! Somebody is besmirching my reputation without even knowing it.