Has a virus been spread via WordPress?

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  hamlethamster · Member · Sep 1, 2011 at 3:55 pm

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  Yesterday I have sent this link per mail individually to ONE person:

  [URL removed]

  Today i got an emergency reply:

  ATTENTION, Mr XY, You have sent me a virus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  I was opening your link and clicking on your photographs in order to enlarge them. While doing so a virus came onto my computer and set it out of order. The problem couldn’t be fixed by today so I had to exchange the computer. A dialog box opened and told me that I have to pay EURO 100,- to get my computer back to work.

  Please do not forward this link anymore and keep wordpress informed.

  The I got more information about that kind of virus, which are, however, in German:

  [URL removed]

  I am sending my mails via GMX which is to be seen as Yahoo or Hotmail.

  Question: How is this possible?

  Viele Grüße
  Andreas Baier

  aka. Hamlet Hamster

  P.S.: I put this article into the German forums devision. This article can only be seen when I am logged in. And – in addition: My username «hamlethamster» is not shown, therefore «mdawaffe»
  Blog url: http://hamlethamster.wordpress.com/

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  evarlese · Member · Sep 1, 2011 at 6:11 pm

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  Hi there,

  When clicking on the images within your post, I didn’t come across any suspicious activity. Additionally, they all appear to be linked to files in your WordPress Media Library.

  Is it possible that you or your friend’s email has been compromised?

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  hamlethamster · Member · Sep 1, 2011 at 9:58 pm

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  Hi evarlese,

  I am sending my mails via GMX. I have no idea how they should have become compromised. The person told me that she could opened the link to my article in general without problems. But when clicking on the second picture her computer was frozen.

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  evarlese · Member · Sep 2, 2011 at 5:51 pm

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  From what I can see, everything looks okay on our end. The image file that you’re referring to appears to have been uploaded to your Media Library, meaning it is hosted on WordPress.com.

  It’s possible that this was a very poorly timed coincidence. Was your friend browsing any other sites? Do they have antivirus software installed on their computer?

  For more information about secure browsing, and WordPress security in general, please visit the following:
  http://en.support.wordpress.com/security/
  http://en.support.wordpress.com/https/

  However, if you come across any errors like this in the future, please contact us again.

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  hamlethamster · Member · Sep 3, 2011 at 2:22 am

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  Hi evarlese,

  thanks again for the time you took for reviewing this case.

  I will ask on next monday the person who got my mail with the link. I will contact my mail service GMX as well. Since I take security very seriously I only send my mails not from my HD but directly via dialog box my mail service GMX – like any other service does – offers. This particular mail was nothing attached to.

  I have one last question: Is it possible that my JPG-files have been compromised? That they carry something inside of them that could have initiated the computer breakdown? It is strange anyway because I use a mac and the receiver of my mail works in an international hotel chain with a PC. There should be a proper firewall installed ….

  Thanks again for reviewing my case!

  Kind regards
  Hamlet Hamster

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  staff-blorbo · Staff · Sep 5, 2011 at 7:10 pm

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  We take several security precautions to prevent something like this from happening on our servers, and they all appear to be fine on our end.