A recent study reported in PCWorld shows that due to of the explosion of spam email, 17% of the messages that people actually want to receive never make to their inbox because spam blockers used by the nation’s top 12 Internet Service Providers (ISPs) stop them.  We may have reached the peak of efficient email usage in 2002.  Those that have learned how to invade our space with unwanted spam have forced us to come up with ways to foil them.  The sad part is that every workaround requires time and money which means lost efficiency.  We can no longer rely on the assumption that if we email someone they will get it, including this newsletter.  It is now almost a requirement that when you email something important you need to follow it up with a phone call.
 
Email issues aren’t just about efficiency.  There are two other emerging issues that are going to impact our reliance on email.  The first is the legal paper trail it leaves behind and subsequent regulations to save old emails (now required in the securities trading industry).  The second is the lack of security which may show up as a privacy issue.   If it becomes reasonable to assume an email system is not secure, then we may find ourselves defending against an accusation of violating an employee’s right to privacy when a sensitive issue is dealt with by email and gets out to the rest of the company.
 
Email is still a terrific tool.  Inefficient email is better than no email at all.  However, as we get hooked on it and start taking it for granted, we need to keep in mind there are some downsides to using it.  We recommend reviewing your policies and procedures regarding email at least once a year.  If you need our help, please call Steve Norman at 503.585.0244.  Of course you can always email him at snorman@hrcentral.com.
 
 
Virus Alert!
by Mark Mistkawi, MCP
 
Two more email viruses have emerged in the last couple of weeks to wreak havoc.  They are not the only viruses that have come out in recent weeks, but are two that have the potential to inflict quite a bit of damage.
 
The first virus (nicknamed Trojan.Xombe or Trojan.Zombie), which began showing up about three weeks ago, masquerades as a Microsoft Windows XP update attached to an email message supposedly from Microsoft Corporation.  The sender’s email address shows up as windowsupdate@microsoft.com, but it is a false address.  If you run the file attached to the email, it will install a virus on your computer.
 
Since some virus creators are starting to make their emails look more legitimate, it is important to know that while Microsoft and most other software companies will sometimes send out emails with information regarding products upgrades or security concerns, they will never attach an update to the email because of the problems that have arisen with viruses.  Instead, Microsoft will refer you to the Windows Update tool within the Windows operating system or to the Windows Update website to keep you informed of the latest updates.  Likewise, most other companies will refer you to their websites for updates.  So, if you receive an update from a software company that has a program or file attached to the message, delete it.  If it turns out to be a legitimate update, it should also be available on the company’s website for you to download.
 
The second virus, known as “Beagle” or “Bagle,” also comes as an email attachment in a message with the subject line of “Hi” and random characters in the body of the message.  The attachment is an executable file with the .exe extension.  The virus is triggered when the recipient clicks on the attachment.  It launches an email harvesting program that scans all documents on the infected computer and across a network if the computer is attached to one.  The virus also has code written into it that would enable spammers to install email proxy servers on the infected computers which they could use to send out spam.
 
As these two viruses illustrate, it is important to keep your antivirus software up-to-date.  Most programs would have blocked the Trojan.Xombe and Beagle attachments before the messages hit your inbox.  If your antivirus program does not block an attachment that you were not expecting to receive, you should consider deleting it without opening it even if you know the sender.  It could be the sender has been infected with a virus and it is now being sent to you.  At the very least, check with the sender to see if he or she meant to send the message before opening the file.