# Yahoo mail question, need quick reply **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 3, 2004, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-mail-question-need-quick-reply/232340 "2004-03-03T17:16:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Club\_33](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@Club\_33](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Club_33)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-mail-question-need-quick-reply/232340/1 "2004-03-03T17:16:28Z")
I received the following message from Yahoo this morning concerning an account that I have had for years. > [@](#): > > Dear user, the management of [Yahoo.com](http://Yahoo.com) mailing system wants to let > you know that, > > Your e-mail account will be disabled because of improper using in > next > three days, if you are still wishing to use it, please, resign your > account information. > > For more information see the attached file. > > Attached file protected with the password for security reasons. > Password is xxxxxx. > > The Management, > The [Yahoo.com](http://Yahoo.com) team The thing is, the mail has a zip file attached. called “info.zip”. When unzipped , the file contains an .exe file. This strikes me as potentially being a virus. Has this happened to anyone here? I don’t want to lose my account (if it is true). Then again, I don’t want to risk opening an .exe file to find out if it is real or a virus. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated ---
**Author:** ![NevarMore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7feea3/32.png) [@NevarMore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NevarMore)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-mail-question-need-quick-reply/232340/2 "2004-03-03T17:20:05Z")
Its bupkis. Do not run the EXE. There should be an option to show all headers. Read through there and you’ll start seeing non-Yahoo addresses in there. That means Yahoo didn’t send it. ---
**Author:** ![vd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b19c9b/32.png) [@vd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vd)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-mail-question-need-quick-reply/232340/3 "2004-03-03T17:30:48Z")
I agree with **NevarMore**. There’s a new worm going around that uses management@\ (or adminstration@… or staff@… or noreply@…) as the From address with an official-sounding dire warning of some kind inside. When in doubt, forward it to your known administrator. ---
**Author:** ![vd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b19c9b/32.png) [@vd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vd)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-mail-question-need-quick-reply/232340/4 "2004-03-03T17:36:07Z")
here’s the variant I got today… > [@](#): > > Dear user of thingy.ca, > > Our main mailing server will be temporary unavaible for next two days, > to continue receiving mail in these days you have to configure our free > auto-forwarding service. > > For more information see the attached file. > > Cheers, > The thingy.ca team [http://www.thingy.ca](http://www.thingy.ca) (I’ve replaced my company name with “thingy”) ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-mail-question-need-quick-reply/232340/5 "2004-03-03T17:45:15Z")
It is the [W32/Bagle.j@MM](http://us.mcafee.com/virusInfo/default.asp?id=description&virus_k=101071) virus, or a variant. ---
**Author:** ![Genghis\_Bob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/45deac/32.png) [@Genghis\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Genghis_Bob)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-mail-question-need-quick-reply/232340/6 "2004-03-03T17:45:21Z")
My company’s IT Staff has informed all employees of this virus. It disguises itself as an official communication, and has a “zipped” .exe file. Our propellor-heads have temporarily disabled .zip file attachments as a precaution. Don’t run the .exe! A sure tipoff – the “Message” from Yahoo is as badly written as one of those “I’m a Nigerian General with $58 Million” scam e-mails. ---
**Author:** ![Club\_33](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@Club\_33](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Club_33)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-mail-question-need-quick-reply/232340/7 "2004-03-03T23:15:20Z")
Thank you all for the great information. It was what I expected to hear. I was having a hard time finding anything via google. I knew that I would get the quickest answer from the dopers. A quick (and probably stupid) question: I did open the zip file to see what type of file was zipped. As long as I didn’t click on the ,exe file, I should be ok, right? Again, thanks for all of our help!