Missouri Computers Infected
with Virus, James Urges Missourians to Beware
JEFFERSON CITY, April 3, 2007-Director of Public Safety Mark James
wants to ensure Missourians do not fall victim to the latest Internet
scheme. Today he announced reports of several states including Missouri
received e-mails asking users to download Internet Explorer 7 only
to find once they had their computer was infected with Malware, a
program that gathers information about a computer user without permission.
“Computer intruders are a dangerous breed of
criminal deviants, but we will remain vigilant in our efforts to protect
our state’s computer infrastructure from those who would unlawfully
misuse technology,” James said.
The e-mails carry the subject line "Internet Explorer
7 Downloads" and appear to come from admin@microsoft.com. They
include a blue, Microsoft-style graphic offering a download of IE
7 beta 2. Clicking the graphic will download an executable file called
IE 7.exe. James urges Missourians not to open the attachment. The
state has received 80 messages from this user and are currently monitoring
the activity.
DHS tips to protect against computer hackers:
• Train and make yourself and other network users aware of attack
techniques and safe web browsing practices.
• Perform a thorough review of operational needs to determine
the types of required attachments. Implement a default deny rule,
allowing only those attachment types with a verifiable business need
and associated approved software. Block all other attachments.
• Block e-mail that does not originate from an internal e-mail
server and claims to be from the “same domain” (same .gov,
.com, .mil, .org, etc) e-mail address.