Webmail Worm - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

John Henry · 07-01-2004, 10:57 AM

Is there any way that I can get rid of a worm infecting my webmail account? The only worm-killers I can find will only scan your computer.

losthellhound · 07-01-2004, 11:18 AM

is the mail in your webclient so important? I'd just kill all the mail there

tropple · 07-02-2004, 02:46 AM

A worm in webmail?

Webmail is a server that lets you access your mail using a browser as the client.

Are using IE and maybe picked up a nasty IE thing somewhere?

Your mail isn't really on your local PC, it's on the web server. If there is a problem that looks like a worm, maybe you should try a different browser to see if it make a difference.

If that does not solve the problem, then you need to contact the admin of the webmail service and have them check to see if your mail spool is corrupted.

I hope that helps.

John Henry · 07-02-2004, 09:26 AM

It's not doing anything to my computer that I'm aware of, but it does seem to be trying to spread itself to my contacts. I keep getting messages from servers I haven't emailed, saying "This message was not delivered because it contained a virus".

Unfortunately I can't kill all my webmail because I use it for important stuff as I can access it anywhere without having to set anything up.

I understand how webmail works (vaguely), but I figured the worm could be stored on my bit of the server (don't really understand how worms work, where they execute from, etc) and be disseminating itself from there.

I'm not worried about damage to my computer, just about potential employers etc. getting worms sent to them from my address.

Phage · 07-02-2004, 01:07 PM

Hah, is that all? Ok, I can explain what is probably happening.

People mailing out viruses generally don't want to be found out, or don't think that the address they are mailing from is going to make you want to open the message. There is also the problem that you can block a certain originating address pretty easily, which they want to avoid. So, they do something called "spoofing" which is basically faking the address they are sending from. The email system was not designed with a good defense against this, so it is pretty easy to do.

So, what could be happening is someone is spoofing your address and sending mails which are rejected and a response is sent back to you.

BUT, it is probably not that. I would bet that it is a harvesting tactic for spammers, much like chain letters. They mail out a bunch of these messages pretending to be a mail system admin, and when people reply to the message saying how they didn't know they were sending mail they know they have a live address.

In any case, since it is a webmail service you cannot be the source of the problem. People who host webmail are generally fairly good about keeping their systems secure, and even if they were infected there is absolutely nothing you could do about it. You don't have a bit of the server, or at least not how you are looking at it. The server could not be infected by something you were mailed, as they do not open much less execute what you recieve.

Just block the originating address on the messages and forget about it.

John Henry · 07-02-2004, 02:49 PM

Thanks all.

07-01-2004, 10:57 AM	#1 (permalink)
John Henry Addict Location: Grey Britain	Webmail Worm Is there any way that I can get rid of a worm infecting my webmail account? The only worm-killers I can find will only scan your computer. __________________ "No one was behaving from very Buddhist motives. Then, thought Pigsy, he was hardly a Buddha, nor was he a monkey. Presently, he was a pig spirit changed into a little girl pretending to be a little boy to be offered to a water monster. It was all very simple to a pig spirit."

07-01-2004, 11:18 AM	#2 (permalink)
losthellhound Thats MR. Muffin Face now Location: Everywhere work sends me	is the mail in your webclient so important? I'd just kill all the mail there __________________ "Life is possible only with illusions. And so, the question for the science of mental health must become an absolutely new and revolutionary one, yet one that reflects the essence of the human condition: On what level of illusion does one live?" -- Ernest Becker, The Denial of Death

07-02-2004, 02:46 AM	#3 (permalink)
tropple Junkie	A worm in webmail? Webmail is a server that lets you access your mail using a browser as the client. Are using IE and maybe picked up a nasty IE thing somewhere? Your mail isn't really on your local PC, it's on the web server. If there is a problem that looks like a worm, maybe you should try a different browser to see if it make a difference. If that does not solve the problem, then you need to contact the admin of the webmail service and have them check to see if your mail spool is corrupted. I hope that helps. __________________ +++++++++++Boom!

07-02-2004, 09:26 AM	#4 (permalink)
John Henry Addict Location: Grey Britain	It's not doing anything to my computer that I'm aware of, but it does seem to be trying to spread itself to my contacts. I keep getting messages from servers I haven't emailed, saying "This message was not delivered because it contained a virus". Unfortunately I can't kill all my webmail because I use it for important stuff as I can access it anywhere without having to set anything up. I understand how webmail works (vaguely), but I figured the worm could be stored on my bit of the server (don't really understand how worms work, where they execute from, etc) and be disseminating itself from there. I'm not worried about damage to my computer, just about potential employers etc. getting worms sent to them from my address. __________________ "No one was behaving from very Buddhist motives. Then, thought Pigsy, he was hardly a Buddha, nor was he a monkey. Presently, he was a pig spirit changed into a little girl pretending to be a little boy to be offered to a water monster. It was all very simple to a pig spirit."

07-02-2004, 02:49 PM	#6 (permalink)
John Henry Addict Location: Grey Britain	Thanks all. __________________ "No one was behaving from very Buddhist motives. Then, thought Pigsy, he was hardly a Buddha, nor was he a monkey. Presently, he was a pig spirit changed into a little girl pretending to be a little boy to be offered to a water monster. It was all very simple to a pig spirit."

07-02-2004, 01:07 PM	#5 (permalink)
Phage Insane	Hah, is that all? Ok, I can explain what is probably happening. People mailing out viruses generally don't want to be found out, or don't think that the address they are mailing from is going to make you want to open the message. There is also the problem that you can block a certain originating address pretty easily, which they want to avoid. So, they do something called "spoofing" which is basically faking the address they are sending from. The email system was not designed with a good defense against this, so it is pretty easy to do. So, what could be happening is someone is spoofing your address and sending mails which are rejected and a response is sent back to you. BUT, it is probably not that. I would bet that it is a harvesting tactic for spammers, much like chain letters. They mail out a bunch of these messages pretending to be a mail system admin, and when people reply to the message saying how they didn't know they were sending mail they know they have a live address. In any case, since it is a webmail service you cannot be the source of the problem. People who host webmail are generally fairly good about keeping their systems secure, and even if they were infected there is absolutely nothing you could do about it. You don't have a bit of the server, or at least not how you are looking at it. The server could not be infected by something you were mailed, as they do not open much less execute what you recieve. Just block the originating address on the messages and forget about it.