At 09:16 PM 5/30/2001 -0400, John Link wrote:
>Instead of deleting part of your system and instructing othres to do
>the same, I suggest you take a look at the following:
This is my response to several messages about viruses that were
posted here:
An exe file received via email from an unknown source is NEVER
"part of your system" - and should never be opened.... this is
something everyone should learn.
Relying on the "high settings of
an email program" is a recipe for eventual trouble. One must
also have discernment about whether to open a message or an
attachment.
Viruses don't just "migrate through your system"; viruses
received by email have to come in the form of programs (rather
than data) and you have to execute them. If you don't execute
them, they can do no harm. Exe files are the most obvious, since
there's no justifiable reason to send them under normal
circumstances. The same applies to programs written in
interpretive languages, especially microsoft scripting languages
(.vbs and .js). It starts getting more dicey with Word and other
Office files, since they may contain macros that do damage, yet
word processing documents are fairly normal things to send back
and forth. Still, in business, they usually come from known
sources.
The single most important thing is that mail programs be set not
to automatically open binary attachments... any mail program
that can't be so instructed is a security risk and should be
discarded or updated. But you also have to know enough not to
open dangerous attachments manually. Any time someone unknown
to you sends you a program, as opposed to a mere message, that's
when you should be terminally suspicious and simply delete it,
unopened. The same applies to programs that come from
non-computer-savvy friends. It's probably safe to let down your
guard if the program comes from a person well known to you, and
he/she is writing a program for you or sharing a program that
he/she also uses.
The important distinction to keep in mind is that no one should
be sending you programs out of the blue, and if they do, DON'T
RUN THEM! If the message is just data, it's ok to look, but be
sure before you look that there's not a program lurking in the
background - as in the case of Office files. Learn the
difference and you'll be pretty safe, and have no reason to fear
email viruses.
Oh - and Mac users are not immune; it's just that windows is a
much juicier target because it's so popular... Even Unix users
are not entirely immune. Learn to be discerning with respect to
email and you will have no problems.
End of sermon.
reentering lurk mode
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