Kaspersky Anti-Virus Messages

Rebel · 2 Feb 2004, 07:35 AM

A week ago I suddenly began receiving two or three messages a day in my FastMail account from postmasterATmessagingengineDOTcom saying:

Subject: Infected File Rejected

"We have just rejected a message to you from (sender's email address named here) because it tested as positive to a virus
using Kaspersky Anti-virus (http://www.kasperskyDOTcom).

"If you do not wish to use anti-virus protection, log into
your account, click Preferences, and uncheck 'Virus Protection'.

"The virus scanner output was:
----
From (sender's email address) Date (current date and time) body.zip/body.scr Infected by virus: I-Worm.Mydoom.a."

I do not recognize the sender's email address on any of these rejected messages. Naturally I am grateful that Kaspersky is catching the virus before it infiltrates my account. And of course I want to continue using anti-virus protection.

But these daily notices count against my FastMail bandwidth usage and will begin to add up if they keep coming every day. Can FastMail reject messages containing viruses without sending a routine notice about them to me?

kander · 2 Feb 2004, 08:18 AM

Unfortunately not. It's part of their contract with Kaspersky. Without it, virusscanning would be a LOT more expensive (consider it to be a way of advertising for Kaspersky, even though it's really counter-intuitive for an advertiser to be associated with lots of pointless messages). You can add a Sieve filter, but that wouldn't decrease the bandwidth load.

--K

Rebel · 2 Feb 2004, 08:35 AM

OK, thanks for clarifying this. Wonder if lots of other FastMail users have also been getting Kaspersky messages about rejection of emails containing the Mydoom virus.

AlexMorris · 3 Feb 2004, 01:30 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by kander
It's part of their contract with Kaspersky. Without it, virusscanning would be a LOT more expensive

So... in a nutshell, Kaspersky threatens to spam Fastmail's customers unless Fastmail stumps up more cash. Isn't that extortion?

Given how rabidly anti-spam Fastmail's owners seem to be, should they not consider taking their business to a more reputable outfit? It seems as if Kaspersky is one of the very spammers which, if Kaspersky was a Fastmail customer, Fastmail's TOS would prohibit...

pwb · 4 Feb 2004, 02:18 AM

I don't think that's right Alex,

Most likely Kaspersky let fastmail use their antivirus software at a reduced price provided that each time a user is protected from a virus, that user is informed that it was Kaspersky's software that protected them.

If fastmail wanted to leave off sending those notifications then they would have to pay Kaspersky more money if they wanted to still use the software.

Kaspersky produces anti-virus software (http://www.kaspersky.com/), not SPAM. I seriously doubt they would threaten fastmail with SPAM.

leisuresuitlary · 4 Feb 2004, 04:14 AM

I agree with pwb.

In any case it is nice to be able to feel a bit superior to the minions out there who are getting this stuff in their in-boxes - rather than a rejection notification.

It might sound sad to get pleasure from such a thing, but for me its true.....

Larry

2 Feb 2004, 07:35 AM	#1
Rebel Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 45	Kaspersky Anti-Virus Messages A week ago I suddenly began receiving two or three messages a day in my FastMail account from postmasterATmessagingengineDOTcom saying: Subject: Infected File Rejected "We have just rejected a message to you from (sender's email address named here) because it tested as positive to a virus using Kaspersky Anti-virus (http://www.kasperskyDOTcom). "If you do not wish to use anti-virus protection, log into your account, click Preferences, and uncheck 'Virus Protection'. "The virus scanner output was: ---- From (sender's email address) Date (current date and time) body.zip/body.scr Infected by virus: I-Worm.Mydoom.a." I do not recognize the sender's email address on any of these rejected messages. Naturally I am grateful that Kaspersky is catching the virus before it infiltrates my account. And of course I want to continue using anti-virus protection. But these daily notices count against my FastMail bandwidth usage and will begin to add up if they keep coming every day. Can FastMail reject messages containing viruses without sending a routine notice about them to me?

2 Feb 2004, 08:18 AM	#2
kander The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 4,112	Unfortunately not. It's part of their contract with Kaspersky. Without it, virusscanning would be a LOT more expensive (consider it to be a way of advertising for Kaspersky, even though it's really counter-intuitive for an advertiser to be associated with lots of pointless messages). You can add a Sieve filter, but that wouldn't decrease the bandwidth load. --K

2 Feb 2004, 08:35 AM	#3
Rebel Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 45	OK, thanks for clarifying this. Wonder if lots of other FastMail users have also been getting Kaspersky messages about rejection of emails containing the Mydoom virus.

4 Feb 2004, 02:18 AM	#5
pwb Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: York, UK Posts: 101	I don't think that's right Alex, Most likely Kaspersky let fastmail use their antivirus software at a reduced price provided that each time a user is protected from a virus, that user is informed that it was Kaspersky's software that protected them. If fastmail wanted to leave off sending those notifications then they would have to pay Kaspersky more money if they wanted to still use the software. Kaspersky produces anti-virus software (http://www.kaspersky.com/), not SPAM. I seriously doubt they would threaten fastmail with SPAM.

4 Feb 2004, 04:14 AM	#6
leisuresuitlary Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: UK Posts: 168	I agree with pwb. In any case it is nice to be able to feel a bit superior to the minions out there who are getting this stuff in their in-boxes - rather than a rejection notification. It might sound sad to get pleasure from such a thing, but for me its true..... Larry