From: Grant Callaghan (grantc4@hotmail.com)
Date: Sat 26 Oct 2002 - 14:06:38 GMT
OK, this could STILL be a hoax, but it's a press release from a PR agency
from their client Sophos, an antivirus maker, so probably not.
Regards,
Sabrina Chou
ACCESSUS Marketing Services Inc.
8F-3, 35, Shausing N St., Jungjeng Chiu,
Taipei 100, Taiwan
Tel + 886 2-2341-8301
Fax + 886 2-2341-8332
E-mail: <mailto:Sabrina@accessus.biz>Sabrina@accessus.biz
----------
Friendly greetings? You might be spreading unwanted email
- Sophos advises on new email nuisance
Taipei –October 25, 2002 –Sophos technical support has received a
significant number of calls from customersconcerned about a widespread email
which invites users to pick up an "E-Card" from a website called
FriendlyGreetings.com
If users follow the link in the email, they are invited to install an
ActiveX control onto their computer. An end-user license agreement (EULA) is
displayed stating that by installing the application the user is giving
permission to send a similar greeting card to all addresses found in the
user's Outlook address book.
Of course, many users will not read the EULA with enough attention and
simply give permission for the ActiveX control to be installed, and thus the
emails will be sent.
The emails arrive with the following characteristics:
Subject: <Recipient name> you have an E-card from <Sender name>
Body:
Greetings!
<Sender name> has sent you an E-Card - a virtual postcard from
FriendGreetings.com. You can pick up your E-Card at the FriendGreetings.com
website by clicking on the link below.
<A url at www.friendgreetings.com is then displayed>
Message:
----------------------------------------------------------
<Recipient name>
I sent you a greeting card. Please pick it up.
<Sender name>
----------------------------------------------------------
"Of course, it's each user's decision whether they want to run a program
like this on their computer. But users should read terms and agreements very
carefully before installing any program," said Graham Cluley, senior
technology consultant for Sophos Anti-Virus. "This application could be
considered a nuisance because of the large amount of unwanted email it could
potentially generate."
Sophos recommends companies consider blocking access to non-work-related
websites, and educate users to check with their IT department before
installing unauthorised code onto their computers.
About Sophos:
Sophos is one of the world's largest specialist developers of anti-virus
software. Headquartered in the UK, its products are sold and supported
through a global network of subsidiaries and partners in more than 150
countries. Sophos solutions are specifically desgined to protect businesses
and organisations from virus attack. The company's products are widely
deployed by large corporations, banks and governments.
PRESS CONTACT:
Charles Cousins
Sophos Anti-Virus Asia Pte Ltd
Tel: (65) 6429-0060
Email: <mailto:charles.cousins@sophos.com>charles.cousins@sophos.com
Lillian Lin
ACCESSUS Marketing Services Inc.
Tel：(02) 2341-8301
Email:Lillian@accessus.biz
_________________________________________________________________
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===============================================================
This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing)
see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Sat 26 Oct 2002 - 14:11:04 GMT