Emails with links--what are we dealing with?

[Lura]

Hi.

I have two friends that are (NOT) sending me emails which contain only a link.  There is no message and sometimes the subject is filled with nonsense.  Neither friend is actually sending the emails.

I have not opened the attachments, but another friend did open the attachments and he said that there was nothing there.  Is there really nothing there?  I am not sure what we are dealing with here, or how to handle it.

Lura

[PCBruiser]

Hi,

"Nothing there" does not mean the same thing as "nothing seen".  Programs,, including malware, can run on systems without anything being seen on the screen at all.  Opening unexpected "link only" email, even from a friend,  is just plain dangerous and should not be done.  Email like that should be deleted without opening it.  Those links could download malware without any visible evidence of that taking place.  Your friend should join us here and follow the instructions for posting a log for us to review.  The instructions are here:  http://spywarehammer.com/simplemachinesforum/index.php?topic=12262.0. That is a safe link on this site.  to be on the safe side, if there is any possibility that you might have clicked on a link in a similar email, you should do the same thing, and post a log here for our experts to review.  It is better to be safe than sorry.

[Hoov]

Also do not delete the offending e-mail. Looking at the header can sometimes help determine if the problem is with your computer, a friends computer, with the e-mail server itself or if it is totally faked and you just are the victim of bad luck.