The wrath of "Sender Bender" viruses.

Often, Anti-Virus software further victimizes users by failing to recognize "Sender Bender" Viruses. In the wake of the recent MyDoom e-mail virus, which forges the "FROM" address, the number of false notifications have skyrocketed.

(PRWEB) February 6, 2004 --An increasingly persistent trend has recently emerged in the wake of the latest wave of MyDoom and SoBig variant viruses, causing computer users' inboxes to become saturated -- with false and misleading virus notifications.

Jay Swackhamer, a systems specialist with Nebularis' MailPolice email security division, notes that most e-mail virus scanners used in corporate networks, small businesses, and homes have a feature that sends a notification to the apparent originator of detected viruses.

"Infected E-mail notices inform the sender so that they can take corrective action. When the Sender is falsified, as is the case with viruses like MyDoom, these notices do nothing more than clog up inboxes and cause unnecessary concern."

MailPolice's website reports that misguided virus notifications have been propagated as much as the actual viruses, causing confusion for end users and corporate I.T. staffers alike.

The latest virus forges the "from" address, taken from the infected computer's address book, and uses this information to send forgeries to its targets. If the target has a virus scanner protecting it, a notification is sent back to the faked "from" address, informing the alleged sender of the attempted infection.

Dale Waterman, Director of Client Services at Nebularis, advises that they have spent a considerable amount of time each day since the outbreak, fielding inquiries from concerned customers trying to assess the damage to their home or corporate networks. Consequently, a bulletin was sent to all clients advising of this.

"We have now deployed additional technologies to reduce the amount of false notices from mail servers that can't distinguish between sender forgery." Waterman suggests that all e-mail and virus scanning vendors clamp down on the 'sender bender' issue before it gets further out of control.

Nebularis Inc. is a provider of computer technology services, including web hosting,

computer technical support, and Internet technology development.

MailPolice(TM) is a secure e-mail service, providing customers with a 100% available managed
e-mail system that passively protects against spam, viruses, pornography, hoaxes, and other
intrusive e-mail. More information is available at http://mailpolice.com.

"Sender bender" is a term coined by Nebularis staff to describe the notion that many new viruses spoof the sender address in an effort to create confusion and elude customer white-lists.

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