I am constantly getting e-mails at work that have been forwarded untold number of times and contain "urban legends" otherwise known as "this is really true - it happened to someone I know." Nine times out of ten, when I type them in to hoax-slayer or a similiar site - they turn out to be bogus. My question is this. Besides clogging up my inbox and being a minor irritation- what is the harm in forwarding these things on? I need specific things that can be presented at a staff meeting during which we are addressing this issue. Is it just harmless fun , or can forwarding these things to multiple addresses pose a security risk?
Computer e-mail hoax question.?network
"Probably the biggest risk for hoax messages is their ability to multiply....
Recently, we have been hearing of spammers (bulk mailers of unsolicited mail) harvesting e-mail addresses from hoaxes and chain letters. After a few generations, many of these letters contain hundreds of good addresses, which is just what the spammers want. We have also heard rumors that spammers are deliberately starting hoaxes and chain letters to gather e-mail addresses (of course, that could be a hoax). So now, all those nice people who were so worried about the poor little girl dying of cancer find themselves not only laughed at for passing on a hoax but also the recipients of tons of spam mail.
No comments:
Post a Comment