[meteorite-list] OT: latest virus wave

From: Matson, Robert <ROBERT.D.MATSON_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:16:37 2004
Message-ID: <AF564D2B9D91D411B9FE00508BF1C86901B4ECB8_at_US-Torrance.mail.saic.com>

Hi All,

Regarding sobig.f and the latest wave of viruses, Matteo
wrote: "I am full of this emails in my ebay email, at 20
for day."

Consider yourself fortunate. At the peak, I was getting 30
per hour. It is clear from the pattern of spoofed sender
e-mail addresses that at least one of our list members was
infected, and still is. Unfortunately, this virus takes
advantage of the "six degrees of separation" theory -- that
we are all connected to every other human being on the planet
by only 6 connections. (It's probably more than this when
confined to the internet -- perhaps 7 or 8 -- but you get the
idea.)

Just consider how many addresses you have in your e-mail
address book and raise that to the 6th, 7th or 8th power.
Even allowing for redundancy and the (now) small fraction
of vulnerable computers, it doesn't take long before every
e-mail address is covered.

Given the loss in worldwide productivity, the culprit or culprits
if ever caught should be sentenced to life in prison with no
possibility of parole. --Rob
Received on Fri 29 Aug 2003 02:35:33 AM PDT