Posted on

Beware of Emails Bearing Gifts

Have you seen an email entitled UPS notification? Have you received an unexpected email telling you about a parcel sent your home address, when you have nothing on order? Do you feel excited at the thought of getting an unexpected gift?

Unfortunately, that is not a mysterious present in the post, but a piece of malicious software, or malware, called the UPS Notification Virus. This is an automated attempt to install a Trojan on your computer, which is a piece of software that would connect to a medium risk domain in Russia and subsequently download all manner of undesirable additions to your computer.

If you are fortunate enough to operate behind a corporate firewall and email gateway this will be intercepted by the mail scanning software, and all you will get is an email with the subject line something like: WARNING. Someone tried to send you a potential virus or unauthorized code. If you see this message you need to do nothing further; the threat has been eliminated by the software.

At home, if you have up to date anti-virus software installed, you may see the email with an additional marker like [Quarantined], or a message from the anti-virus software manufacturers indicating that the threat has been removed. In this event you need to do nothing further except keep your anti-virus software current.

However, if you access your email by a webmail client, and do not subscribe to an anti virus service, then you may see an email in your inbox with the subject of UPS notification. Preview of the email will show you something like this:

Dear customer.

The parcel was sent your home address.
And it will arrive within 3 business day.

More information and the tracking number are attached in document below.

Thank you.
© 1994-2011 United Parcel Service of America, Inc.

In this event, DELETE the email and do not attempt to open the attachment. UPS may sometimes send emails, but generally does not include attachments. If you see this email on a company computer then please additionally inform the local ICT helpdesk, to alert them so that they can investigate how the message reached you.

Remember

  • Only disclose your email address to known individuals and organizations
  • Only open email and attachments from known and trusted sources
  • If in doubt, check with your local IT department or support person if you are not sure that an email is genuine
Posted on

Why We Should All Stop Using IE 6

It has been just about six months since we mentioned the dreaded IE6 in a blog post, so it is again time to let rip on the subject.

In this instance however, instead of just ranting about the state of senior management and decision makers who chose to ignore the problems caused by continual use of IE6, it is time to adopt a different tack! The way to change the way people think is to give them the facts and allow them to reach the conclusion themselves. Rather than berate, let’s educate!

To that end we are collecting sound reasons why any business, organization or government body tied to IE6 might like to consider moving away from the obsolete browser. If you like, we are quietly going to collect the facts for the business case for updating from IE6 to a better browser.

Just for starters, the three most common responses to the question “Why Should We All Stop Using IE 6?”we get from web developers are:

  • Security vulnerabilities which make it a target for crackers worldwide
  • CSS support is problematic (doesn’t support newer CSS and HTML features)
  • JavaScript support is Microsoft proprietary nonsense.

OK, we had to clean up the comments a bit to make them publishable!

Then from the user’s point of view, what about tabbed browsing? Tabbed browsing facilities makes users more productive as they can work more efficiently. But what other advantages to the users are there?

If you want to contribute to the business case for ditching IE6, is there anything you can you do? Well, you can start by sending us the list of your pet IE6 hates. If you are a developer, tell us the features that are missing in IE6 which hold back sites you are developing for your customers. If you are a user, forced by company policy to stay on IE6, what way are you disadvantaged? If you are a business with an Internet presence (and what business doesn’t?) how much extra does it cost you to maintain backward compatibility with IE6?

Are you still clinging to the mistaken belief that there is plenty of life in the old IE6 dog yet, then consider that IE10 is not that far away; The IE10 Platform Preview Guide for Developers provides an early look at the developer features coming to the next version of IE! Check it out and see the Internet Explorer Platform Preview Guide for Developers (opens in a new window).

Other anti IE6 sites and additional resources (all open in a new window):

To do your bit for humanity, post your constructive comments below and we will collate them and make sure that they are taken to the authorities responsible for holding on to IE6. Please don’t bother spamming, as spam comments will never be published.