[InHam] INARRL BULLETIN 029-2003

[Brian Murrey]

INARRL BULLETIN 029-2003
11:04:00 EST 08/23/2003 de KB9BVN

RE:Spam a result of virus e-mail spoofing, not from ARRL (Aug 20, 2003)

Spam that appears to be coming from ARRL Headquarters e-mail addresses
is a result of computer worms capable of e-mail "spoofing" and is not
coming from ARRL. Some in the amateur community have complained to ARRL
Headquarters staff members about spam they received that looked like it
had come from ARRL's e-mail system. Outside of routine correspondence,
the ARRL only sends e-mail to its members who request mailings, such as
W1AW bulletins and The ARRL Letter. ARRL Information Systems Department
Manager Don Durand says so-called worm programs are the culprit. "What
happens is that this worm--and many others--will infect someone's
machine," Durand explained. The worm can take addresses from the user's
personal address book and use those addresses on the "From:" line of a
piece of e-mail. "The worm will then take the rest of the personal
address book and send notes to everyone in it, varying the 'From:' line
as it goes." Durand said the worm programs can use arrl.org e-mail
addresses it harvests from others' machines to propagate and replicate
itself. Worms of this type have been around for some time now. A new
variant of the SoBig worm began circulating on the Internet August 19.


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Brian Murrey - KB9BVN
KB9BVN@arrl.net
Indiana Section Bulletin Manager
(317)535-9887
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