SAB Email: suspect emails from administrator?

[Fractalhead]

I just logged onto the new email system to discover a couple of strange emails from [email protected] and [email protected] telling me for two different reasons to open up a 42k .zip attachment file. I'm very suspicious of these emails and as much as I don't want to lose my SAB email account, I don't want to unwittingly invite viruses into my system. Are these emails for real??

While we're on the topic of spam, is there any way to block all this crap that is flooding my SAB account?

Here's the first one:

Subject: Email Account Suspension

From: [email protected]

Date: Wed, June 29, 2005 7:05 pm

To: [email protected]

Priority: Normal

Options: View Full Header | View Printable Version

Dear user fractal,

It has come to our attention that your Shaman-australis User Profile ( x ) records

are out of date. For further details see the attached document.

Thank you for using Shaman-australis!

The Shaman-australis Support Team

and the second one:

Subject: IMPORTANT NOTIFICATION

From: [email protected]

Date: Thu, June 30, 2005 2:04 pm

To: [email protected]

Priority: Normal

Options: View Full Header | View Printable Version

Dear Shaman-australis Member,

Your e-mail account was used to send a huge amount of unsolicited spam messages

during the recent week. If you could please take 5-10 minutes out of your online

experience and confirm the attached document so you will not run into any future

problems with the online service.

If you choose to ignore our request, you leave us no choice but to cancel your

membership.

Virtually yours,

The Shaman-australis Support Team

+++ Attachment: No Virus found

+++ Shaman-australis Antivirus - www.shaman-australis.com

Download this as a file

Attachments:

document.zip 42 k [ application/octet-stream ]

+++ Attachment: No Virus (Clean)

+++ Shaman-australis Antivirus - www.shaman-australis.com

[apothecary]

If the attachments are the same size, probably a virus.

[Torsten]

unless it comes from shaman@.... you can simply delete it.

This email is a very nasty spoof carrying a virus. It has nothing to do with me and I can't stop it. The only way to deal with it is to delete it.

[apothecary]

Another justification of GPG signing of emails between members of the forum.

[Benzito]

And another justification for why Apothecary needs HRT!

Seriously though:

What's GPG signing? I'm curious.

[AndyAmine.]

Same as PGP signing, its a form of authentication and or encryption.

I would REALLY like to be able to leave a copy of my PGP key on my profile so people can use it if they want to but there is no where to put it because its quite long. this would be an extreemly usful feature Torsten.

Here is a link on the subject Benzito:

GPG encryption and signing

[Benzito]

Thanks Andy. Interesting read.

[Torsten]

I believe the new version will have a field for leaving things like PGP keys.

soon..... soon.

[apothecary]

slashdot allows this. Very useful feature in my opinion.

[coin]

cant you just link to it in your sig?

[AndyAmine.]

No Its to long and even if I could, something like 15lines is a bit much for a sig.

I wouldnt mind putting it there but others mighnt.

[Torsten]

andy, coin said 'link to it'. Meaning you put your key somewhere in a text or html file on the web and then link to it in your sig.