Avoiding the Ecard.EXE Virus

A malicious new virus has been circulating the Internet recently, trying to sneak into your computer's back door by posing as a friendly greeting from a loved one. As Americans celebrate Independence Day and others throughout the world are on edge over recent terrorist activity, the temptation to have our hearts touched by those close to us can be overwhelming. When opening e-cards, though, use common sense and protect yourself from this dangerous new virus.

The SPAM email looks innocent enough. With a common-looking subject line such as, "You've received an e-card from a family member!" and an apparent well-known sender (such as e-card giants AmericanGreetings.com, BlueMountain.com and Hallmark.com), it's easy to fall victim to opening up the email.

Fortunately, this virus requires you to do a little more than open the email in order to download the harmful virus software. This step is where common sense plays a factor:

First and foremost, if you ever receive an email like the one described above, DO NOT click the link! HTML links are very easily masked to resemble reputable companies. Hovering your mouse on the link, though, will show you that the link actually points to someone's IP address- likely somewhere overseas and out of American jurisdiction- instead of to the company where the e-card supposedly originated. Never clicking on links in unsolicited emails is the first rule of keeping your computer safe. If you absolutely must know if the link is valid, highlight the link, copy it and paste it directly into your browser's address bar.

After following that general rule, here are a few more common-sense guidelines which, if followed, can keep your computer safe:

Telltale warning signs:
--The subject line says, "a family member" instead of a specific person's name. If someone had actually sent you a card, the system would know their name and would list it instead of a generic term.

--As mentioned above, the hyperlink may have an IP address instead of a domain name. If the link were legitimate, it would start with http://www.americangreetings.com instead of http://xx.xx.xx.xx/somethinglonghere.