The furniture thing - Off topic

From: Adrian H. D. Bell <adbell_at_iname.com>
Date: Wed 01 Dec 1999 - 15:56:13 PST

I wonder if the furniture message was an advanced form of spamming.

Carol says she didn't send the second message (only the candleheads), and as JBC fan, you should believe her. It still begs the question how did it happen?

Here's a couple of theories:

1. JAVA applet
a. Carol went to furniture website.
b. A java applet from the site read her outbox and found messages with jpeg

file attachments
c. Applet then sends SPAM to same address inserting "Jbc", her email and candle into the context of the message to make it seem personalised

2. Virus
same as above but instead of java applet a melissa-like virus on Carols PC performs this function.

3. Low tech - Conspiracy.
Someone reviews Carols outbox and then sends an email from her PC to cause general humiliation.

Any techies like to pontificate as to the feasibility of Theories 1 or 2. Alternatively, any conspirators who think option 3.

For Carol, I would certainly be running a virus check to elimate 2 at least. It would also be interesting to know if there is any furniture messages in your Sent Items or if you ever visited the furniture.com website.

In any case, it would also be interesting to know if furniture.com or some kind of sick mind is behind this. Or perhaps even both? Received on Wed Dec 1 15:56:01 1999