How to Detect Infected E-mails

 

One of the ways by which malware could get in to your system without strict passport or visa filtering is via e-mail. Indeed, hackers don’t need to cut their way through firewalls by using this point of entry. They don’t even need to hope and pray for a security software glitch to get their creation inside one’s PC. All they have to do is cross their fingers and wish that the user is either gullible or careless.

There’s no hard and fast rule in detecting infected or malicious e-mails. Having the attachment scanned by an antivirus is the best way by which you could determine if the e-mail file is infected. However, an e-mail may have no attachment but it could still do damage. Some malicious e-mails contain links purporting to lead to clean and legitimate Web sites. Of course, the user would be lead to a bogus page where he could either be phished for information or be infected with various types of viruses or spyware through harmful ActiveX controls.

Putting a scarlet letter on filenames that are reported to be infected won’t do you too much good, either. No self-respecting hacker would give their creations on a silver platter to virus hunters. Malicious files mimic chameleons and change names all the time to escape detection.

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t open your mails and resort back to your local post office like the good old days. What I’m stressing is that you shouldn’t rely on just one single malware-detection method. A combination of two or more of the means mentioned above would ensure that your computer won’t be possessed by unwanted applications through malicious e-mail attachments or links.

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Posted by Ruel on September 1st, 2008 .
Filed under: General, PC Security, Malware | No Comments »

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