# Is there a new contagion of 'Puter Viruses making the rounds?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-new-contagion-of-puter-viruses-making-the-rounds/318313>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 23, 2005, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-new-contagion-of-puter-viruses-making-the-rounds/318313 "2005-08-23T19:41:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\
**Post date:** [August 23, 2005, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-new-contagion-of-puter-viruses-making-the-rounds/318313/1 "2005-08-23T19:41:36Z")

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…or is there some OTHER reason why my spam filters are delivering unusually high volumes of crapmail with file attachments to my trash folder?

From: The Post Office  
Subject: Delivery reports about your email  
Body: \<none\>  
Attachment: job.zip

From: Returned mail \<[MAILER-DAEMON@earthlink.net](mailto:MAILER-DAEMON@earthlink.net)\>  
Subject: Retuirned mail: Data format error  
Body: \<none\>  
Attachment: account\_info.zip

From: \<name removed\>  
Subject: \<none\>  
Body: Hello, +++ F-Secure AntiVirus - You are protected  
Attachment: funny.zip

From: Bounced mail \<[MAILER-DAEMON@earthlink.net](mailto:MAILER-DAEMON@earthlink.net).  
Subject: report  
Body: We attched some important information regarding your account  
Attachment: info-text.zip

etc.

Here’s my trash folder, which I bloody well \*emptied \*at noon:

```auto

(Attachment)	The Post Office	11:50 AM -0400	1	Delivery reports about your e-mail
(Attachment)	Angel Murphy	9:25 AM -0700	1	Well...
(Attachment)	Returned mail	9:29 AM -0700	1	Returned mail: Data format error
(Attachment)	Returned mail	9:29 AM -0700	1	Returned mail: Data format error
(Attachment)	Returned mail	9:29 AM -0700	1	Returned mail: Data format error
(Attachment)	Returned mail	9:29 AM -0700	1	Returned mail: Data format error
(Attachment)	Returned mail	9:29 AM -0700	1	Returned mail: Data format error
(Attachment)	Returned mail	9:29 AM -0700	1	Returned mail: Data format error
(Attachment)	Returned mail	9:29 AM -0700	1	Returned mail: Data format error
(Attachment)	Returned mail	9:29 AM -0700	1	Returned mail: Data format error
(Attachment)	Returned mail	9:29 AM -0700	1	Returned mail: Data format error
(Attachment)	Dallas Simmons	11:43 AM -0400	1	
(Attachment)	Kelvin Steele	8:47 AM -0700	1	
(Attachment)	Sandy Witherspoon	4:16 PM -0100	3	I just found out about her. volunteer vegetable
(Attachment)	Don Woods	9:33 AM -0700	1	
(Attachment)	Cassie Bright	6:14 PM +0100	3	Re: budge, dedicated to you
(Attachment)	Alyson Rosario	10:10 AM -0800	1	best deals on watches
(No attachment)	Jay Rall	12:20 PM -0500	3	Call Center Performance Optimization Demo
(No attachment)	eFax	10:53 AM -0700	13	Introducing GoToMeeting 2.0
(No attachment)	iTunes Music Store	6:15 PM +0000	74	New Music Tuesday: Franz Ferdinand, Sarah McLachlan, Tony Y
(No attachment)	mensagem@voxcard.com.br	2:20 PM -0400	3	Voce Acaba De Receber Um Cartao VoxCard
(No attachment)	Mr.Alexei Zakharenko	8:30 PM +0200	2UKOS OIL!!!!
(No attachment)	Kris Carroll	11:47 AM 8/23/05 -0800	1	timepiece you non-prescription
(No attachment)	Hattie Calhoun	6:07 PM 8/24/05 +0000	6	Take it to The Bank Stocks
(Attachment)	Bounced mail	8:46 AM -0700	0	report
(Attachment)	Mail Administrator	3:34 AM +0900	1	failed
(Normal)	A. A. Osborn	12:23 PM 8/23/05 -0800	your medinine number 21

```

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**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\
**Post date:** [August 24, 2005, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-new-contagion-of-puter-viruses-making-the-rounds/318313/2 "2005-08-24T00:19:38Z")

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Mytob and Zotob are all over the place, and mutate rapidly. They’re probably the cause of most of the messages.