Looks like spammers
have found yet another way to worm (ha ha) themselves into the computers
of the unsuspecting. In my junk email folder this morning, I saw this
message:
From: Question It [mailto:question_it@fanboxapps.com]
Sent: Monday, January 07, 2008 2:34
To: Steve Riley
Subject: Ratul has asked you a question on FanBox
<http://ai.hitbox.com/ai?hb=DM550726CGWB&ai=EMC-FBX_Questionit_sync>
Ratul asked you a question. View the
question
<http://www.sms.ac/WidgetAPI/Service.ashx?version=1&Method=GoToMyWidget&FROMeUid=4ZIFG1mO1m6PfQKo06SrHw==&eWid=KO7kd3aLplJrKkBpaarhhg==&AssocData=+kt0NC6UaHnnVtU7bTsqPw==&source=ViralWidgetEmail&encemail=mygm7I2EtPGYgkjfT5Bu/3oQesFPnbnqWXKIA33YOI0=&mlid=590803540>
and answer it.
FanBox.com is the web-based desktop that
instantly turns every computer into your computer. It includes over
10,000 web applications and games to choose from, including the Question
It application.
This email was sent by Ratul while using
the Question It application on FanBox. Go here
<http://profile.fanbox.com/preferences/EmailBlock.aspx> to learn
more or stop receiving emails from friends using Question It. FanBox:
255 G Street #723, San Diego, CA 92101, USA
<http://www.sms.ac/WidgetAPI/Service.ashx?method=OpenEmail&FROMeUid=4ZIFG1mO1m6PfQKo06SrHw==&eWid=KO7kd3aLplJrKkBpaarhhg==&encemail=mygm7I2EtPGYgkjfT5Bu/3oQesFPnbnqWXKIA33YOI0=&mlid=590803540>
For most of the well-known marketing profiling--oops, I mean social
networking--sites, I've enrolled my email addresses in their opt-out
mechanisms (I simply don't care about LinkedIn, Plaxo, Facebook,
MySpace, and so on). But this one seemed suspicious. I don't know anyone
named Ratul, and everyone who wants to ask me questions certainly knows
my email address. It raised my bullshit detector.
So after a bit of foraging I found this: http://spamhuntress.com/2007/12/15/smsac-turns-into-fanbox/.
Seems like the company running FanBox got in trouble for doing this
crap once before. Funny, isn't it, how you can just change your name and
suddenly all your past sins evaporate! Well, not on the Internet,
apparently. Your past sins can and do come back to haunt you.
When you sign up for FanBox, they ask for your permission to email
everyone in your address book (FanBox knows how to talk to most webmail
systems). To do this, of course, FanBox needs your password. Most
people, sigh, willingly supply their passwords to any seemingly
innocuous service. We all know that these services really are vile
disgusting filth, the very embodiment of whatever nefarious supreme
being you now strongly wish would unleash itself on FanBox and their
ilk.
So in this case, I'm certainly not going to click on the link to stop receiving more emails. Rather, I'll put fanbox.com, fanboxapps.com, and while I'm at it, sms.ac
in my blocked senders list. I recommend you do the same, and get the
word out to your friends, too. FanBox--and anyone else who asks for your
password--is evil, eeeeeevil I say.
