It's called e-mail spoofing.
This is how Symantec explains it:
"Some variants of this worm (this is about Klez, but it could be some other virus) use a technique known as "spoofing." If so, the worm randomly selects an address that it finds on an infected computer. It uses this address as the "From" address that it uses when it performs its mass-mailing routine. Numerous cases have been reported in which users of
uninfected computers received complaints that they sent an infected message to someone else
Because this worm does use a randomly chosen address that it finds on an infected computer as the "From:" address, numerous cases have been reported in which users of uninfected computers receive complaints that they have sent an infected message to someone else.
For example, Linda Anderson is using a computer that is infected with
[email protected]; Linda is not using a antivirus program or does not have current virus definitions.
When
[email protected] performs its emailing routine, it finds the email address of Harold Logan.
It inserts Harold's email address into the "From:" line of an infected email that it then sends to Janet Bishop. Janet then contacts Harold and complains that he sent her infected email, but when Harold scans his computer, Norton AntiVirus does not find anything--as would be expected--because his computer is not infected."
Hope that explains it.
Cheers,
