Written by Recently I have noticed a lot of links coming in and out of hotmail accounts. The attack seems to send links our to 10 or so of the users contacts at a time. all the links point to .au websites. The email only contains a link something similar to http: // patiodetango . com.au/to.html . However I noticed with these email was included a small amount of byte data when viewing the email on my android phone. We are seening a lot of these emails in Utah, United states of america USA. I get a few of these emails a day from friends, is anyone else seeing this behavior? Please comment and let me know.
[Update]
After logging into my Hotmail account today I noticed that MSN Hotmail must be onto something now too. There is a message at the top of my inbox that now states “A real message vs. a scam?” . “You know it’s a real message when it has the trusted sender icon. That means Hotmail has checked to make sure it’s from a legitimate source, instead of a harmful scam. Check it out”
The link takes you to a page in Windows live MSN that talks about Safety filters, trusted sender icons, safe email.
Here is the quoted text:
”
Windows Live Hotmail helps you keep an eye out for potentially unsafe email messages, so you can stay safer online. With safety features like filters that block viruses and notifications that help you identify messages sent by people you don’t know, Hotmail can help protect you and your computer.
Safety filters
Robust antivirus filters scan attachments and downloads and help block harmful content like malware and phishing email messages.
Look for trusted sender icon in messages
The trusted sender icon lets you know that a message is from a legitimate sender that Hotmail has verified, like your bank or the Windows Live team.
Mark email addresses you know as safe
If you trust the person or website that sent you a message, you can mark them as safe. This sends any messages from them straight to your inbox.
Watch for yellow and red safety bars
A yellow safety bar means that a message contains blocked attachments, pictures, or links to websites. Check the sender of the message and make sure that you trust them before downloading any attachments or pictures or clicking any links.
A red safety bar means that the message you received contains something that might be unsafe and has been blocked by Hotmail. It’s recommended you don’t open these types of email messages and delete them from your inbox.”
If you have an MSN or hotmail account you can view the message here. http://explore.live.com/windows-live-hotmail-safer-inbox-tips-using