What does Avril Lavigne have to do with me?

slylynx8 MemberOP

10 messages
joined Feb 2003

#1 · Feb 6, 2003

Alright, you geniuses!

Every single time I turn around, I'm getting these weird emails hitting my inbox—stuff like some random Avril Lavigne fan club, for example. And then, there's always this attachment that just... starts opening itself (which is super rude, honestly) without me doing anything at all. The files have these Latin phrases for names, too; the most recent one was called cogito_ergo_sum.exe.

Is this some kind of virus?

I went ahead and wiped everything out, so I guess I should ask: was that the right move?

Help a damsel in distress!

🙂 😁

boldcobra37 Newcomer

1 message
joined Feb 2003

#2 · Feb 6, 2003

There's a pretty high probability we were looking at a virus here.

Michelle Alvarez8 Regular

299 messages
joined Nov 2015

#3 · Feb 6, 2003

I think Avril Lavigne is awesome.

Your computer security is basically non-existent right now. You could start by clearing out all your cookies and emptying that temporary internet files folder—that’s a start! Then, maybe bump your internet security settings up to medium and set it to prompt you every single time a server tries to send a cookie? What else...? Hmm, oh! Change your email address. I actually use a fake one whenever I'm signing up for Windows or installing new programs. All that junk mail just goes to that dummy account, which keeps my Hotmail totally clean. As for the little bit of spam that does leak through... well, Hotmail has an option to block those crappy servers entirely.

Douglas Phillips4 Active Member

70 messages
joined Apr 2003

#4 · Feb 6, 2003

If you're already getting junk mail and have AOL Instant Messenger set up, just use it to check your inbox. It’s set to auto-check every few minutes while you're logged in, giving you a quick preview and letting you wipe them straight from the server.
It's basically 😉

And yeah, it's almost certainly a virus.

http://www.cnn.com/news/avril-lavigne-updates.htm

slylynx8 MemberOP

10 messages
joined Feb 2003

#5 · Feb 6, 2003

unknown said:I bet you were browsing through some of her fan sites or something, because now they're hitting your inbox with all this junk mail.😉

unknown what's your favorite song of hers?

For me, it's gotta be Sk8er Boi... at least for right now (Avril Lavigne is way better than the actual song😁 )

No way, definitely not... I was a total saint back in my middle school days.😉

unknown I pretty much only know that one, unknown

Douglas Phillips4 said:If you're getting spam and you have AOL Instant Messenger, just check your mail through there. It automatically checks every few minutes when you're logged in, gives you a preview, and lets you wipe stuff off the server.
It's basically

The spam is definitely coming in, but I don't use AOL Instant Messenger... still, thanks for the tip though!🙂

Jacob Wilson50 Active Member

103 messages
joined Sep 2016

#6 · Feb 6, 2003

slylynx8 says:
Hey there, geniuses!

I keep getting these weird emails popping up—like some random Avril Lavigne fan club—and then there’s an attachment that just... decides to open itself. Total audacity. These files have Latin phrases for names, too; my latest one was called cogito_ergo_sum.exe.

Honey, if you actually had a decent email filter or any kind of antivirus installed, these things wouldn't even make it to your inbox.

Michelle Alvarez8 Regular

299 messages
joined Nov 2015

#7 · Feb 7, 2003

Douglas Phillips4 said:If you're already getting hit with junk and you've got AOL Instant Messenger set up—just use it to check your mail. It does an automatic check every few minutes while you're logged in, gives you a quick preview, and lets you wipe stuff right off the server.
basically

Plus, if you're using AOL Instant Messenger, your chances of getting blasted by even more spam go through the roof. 😁
And honestly? The absolute worst part is when one of your friends sends a forwarded email where everyone's address is totally exposed... I mean, you look at the header and see 15 addresses, then 20 from the previous loop, then dozens more from before that... 😠 all because people find it too hard to just use the BCC field. Seriously, what a nightmare.

Michelle Alvarez8 Regular

299 messages
joined Nov 2015

#8 · Feb 7, 2003

Carol Harris64 said:Look, honey—if you actually had a decent antivirus or a mail filter installed, you’d be cutting these things down before they even hit your inbox!

You should really grab the latest version of McAfee. It's honestly great—plus it comes with Norton running in the background to keep an eye on everything, and they're always uploading those .ide files for the newest viruses over at mcafee.com...👍
Norton is just easier to use, though—updates are a breeze and the virus library is a bit tighter..

Douglas Phillips4 Active Member

70 messages
joined Apr 2003

#9 · Feb 7, 2003

Brian Edwards78 said:If you’re also running AOL Instant Messenger, you're basically just opening the floodgates for even more spam. 😁

I haven't really noticed much of an uptick in spam lately. Honestly, it’s probably easier to just glance at a preview if it's under 1KB and hit delete right away.
I actually gave a few specialized programs a shot, but they just didn't perform nearly as well as AOL Instant Messenger. 😉 It actually caught me completely off guard—honestly, I hadn't even realized that option existed until just now.

Michelle Alvarez8 Regular

299 messages
joined Nov 2015

#10 · Feb 7, 2003

Have you ever gotten one of those random AOL Instant Messenger messages like "check out my new xxx site" or "new online shop"?

Douglas Phillips4 Active Member

70 messages
joined Apr 2003

#11 · Feb 7, 2003

It’s been quite a while since I last checked in.
If you dig into the security settings, there are options like "do not accept" certain types of content, including multi-recipient messages. I think adjusting those might fix part of the issue. Still, even then, I don't think it'll stop the actual spam. I remember how much you used to want to pull your hair out back in the day, waiting for one legitimate email to actually download while you had to sit through a massive pile of junk first. Or that moment when you get excited thinking, "Sweet, I have mail!" only to realize some lowlife 🙄

Douglas Phillips4 Active Member

70 messages
joined Apr 2003

#12 · Feb 7, 2003

Once again, I’m struck by how lightning-fast your replies are. 😉
As for me, I’m only keeping pace because AOL Instant Messenger pinged me to let me know I had 😁new
messages.

Michelle Alvarez8 Regular

299 messages
joined Nov 2015

#13 · Feb 7, 2003

Douglas Phillips4 said:Man, your response time is seriously impressive—it's like you're always on top of things! 😉
I guess I'm just quick because my AOL Instant Messenger pinged me about a new 😁

Honestly, this constant internet access is wild... especially when I'm sitting here at work. 😁

Douglas Phillips4 Active Member

70 messages
joined Apr 2003

#14 · Feb 7, 2003

Count me in too 😉

P.S. we better not chat here or we'll get kicked out 😁

slylynx8 MemberOP

10 messages
joined Feb 2003

#15 · Feb 7, 2003

Carol Harris64 said:Look, honey, if you actually had a decent antivirus or a solid mail filter installed, you’d be cutting these things down at the root before they even hit your inbox.

Listen, sweetie, I've got some Norton running, but honestly? It's acting like a bunch of doctors on strike—just totally refusing to do its job!🙄

slylynx8 MemberOP

10 messages
joined Feb 2003

#16 · Feb 7, 2003

Alright, let me try to recap everything we just talked about to make sure I've actually got this straight,

So, here's the plan:

1. Clear out all those pesky cookies,
2. Wipe out all my temporary internet files,
3. Set my internet security level to medium (though I think it’s already set to medium right now anyway,😕),
4. Ditch Norton and finally spring for a subscription to McAfee.

Does that sound like I've got the whole picture right?😕 😁

slycrane94 Active Member

58 messages
joined Dec 2002

#17 · Feb 7, 2003

First off, ditch Outlook and find yourself a different email client; it doesn't handle automation nearly as well as everyone else does.

Once you've done that, run an update on your Norton virus definitions. You should also set up a burner email account—something dedicated solely to those mindless registrations and junk mail. Just log in every few days, clear out the trash, and call it a day. Problem solved.

Douglas Phillips4 Active Member

70 messages
joined Apr 2003

#18 · Feb 7, 2003

I'm not sure which version of Norton you're running, but... I've got Norton 2002 on my machine, and it includes both "email scanning" and "script blocking" within the antivirus settings. It's possible those features just aren't toggled on for you 😕

slylynx8 MemberOP

10 messages
joined Feb 2003

#19 · Feb 7, 2003

Ugh, I know my email address is basically a magnet for junk, but somehow this still managed to hit my inbox.

I'm running Norton 2000 right now—do you think that'll be enough to handle this?

Douglas Phillips4 Active Member

70 messages
joined Apr 2003

#20 · Feb 7, 2003

I'm not really sure 🙂
given how old it is, I'd suggest just installing a newer version or a fresh copy of McAfee