When it comes to passwords nearly everyone has their own system to deal with them. But how secure are they? Today most passwords under 9 characters are not really deemed secure thanks in large part to the databases that are available to simply look up the passwords. But aren’t they encrypted or secured from prying eyes you may be thinking? Sure but the most common form is to save them in MD5. SHA1 and similar variants are uncommon as well as better methods but for the vast array of online web sites, MD5 is considered standard.
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Received an email this week that looks like your typical spam and it comes with a DOC file attached to it. I included the md5 in the subject for ease of tagging and searching.
It is boring stuff, but it seems very familiar. I am sure this template of spam (if you will) has been sent to me before. Its subject says its from Ms. Cynthia Chalker (From Canada), but the reply to is a South African address, and it’s using msn.com/hotmail.com as the method of delivery (apparently).
And like it says, I have a winning notification that I have won the South African…something. But I have won. Phone number to call to claim my winning prize, and a DOC file attachment.
Obviously I have not won anything. This could be a very simple attempt to get you to call and give information away, or for them to convince you to charge your credit card for processing fees I am not certain.
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Security
chalker, content type, doc, email, file, hotmail, lottery, md5, message id, microsoft smtpsvc, nx, phish, return path, spam, spam traps, unknown