Fraudulent Emails Circulating

Today I received two emails from an unknown source claiming to be from the Creative Arts Administration. One email used a From and Return address of staff@shawnolson.net and the other administrator@shawnolson.net. Neither email address actually exists, and the emails were spoofs. Both contained an attached Zip file.

Unfortunately, it does not take much programming knowledge to know how to create email addresses "from" any email address you want. And, unfortunately, someone has started doing this with my site.

I believe this is the W32/Bagle.j@MM virus. You can learn more about it at McAfee Definitions and Symantec Definitions.

I do want to stress the importance of keeping your computers up-to-date and protected. The first rule of protecting yourself is to NEVER OPEN EMAILS WITH ATTACHEMENTS WITH EXTENSIONS SUCH AS ".EXE" or ".BAT". Actually, it's not safe to open multiple other extensions, including zip files and others. Always be absolutely certain that an email with attachements is genuine before opening it.

If you run Windows, you should regularly run Windows Update. Equally important is to purchase a reliable Internet security package and keep it up to date. I run Norton Internet Security Professional but there are other packages that are probably reliable too, such as from McAfee Security.

Maintaining your computer is important, not only for yourself, but for your friends, families and co-workers. If a virus does get into your computer, it can often be spread to those around you.