Capita Medical Reporting

[Oleboyredw-uk]

Hi all, just an alert. Today I've received a number of emails purporting to be from Capita Medical Reporting. The content states 'Important medical documents attached' nothing more.

There is an attachment of a zip file which I'm sure eill be a disaster if opened. I'll be taking thr rmail header to bits tomorrow to see if I can find more about the origin. In the meantime please be on the lookout for dubious emails potentially phishing. If I find anything helpful I'll add it here and pass on to Capita.

To close on a good note, wishing you all a great Easter.

rob

[AussieNeil Administrator]

Thanks for the warning Rob. A common way that email attachments infect Windows operating systems is by misleading the recipient regarding what kind of file type is attached. The attachment may appear to be a zip file, but it is really a file which Windows will execute rather than open. So Document.zip is really Document.zip.exe or even Document.zip(lots of spaces).exe There has also been a resurgence of macro viruses lately whereby a malicious macro is included in a Word or Excel document. The malware writer may even include enough information to inform the recipient how to enable macros! Obviously you should never do that unless you know and trust the sender.

I always change the default setting in Windows File Explorer so that file extensions are shown. (Why does Microsoft continue to ship operating systems with extensions hidden by default?) If I think the email may be genuine, I never open the attachment from within the email, but download it, then look at the filename extension and finally scan it with at least one virus scanner. Some of the reputable companies that sell antivirus/malware scanners provide a site where you can upload a suspicious file for an on-line check. There are also plenty of sites offering to scan your computer free of charge - but the scanners they offer contain malware!

Neil

[wroxham-gb]

Happy Easter to you too rob!

Thanks for the warning.

Sue