The reason that viruses spread is because individuals have not updated their email reader programs with the latest patches. Microsoft has issued very effective updates for Outlook and Outlook Express that prevent the virus attachments from executing. In today's world, ANY attachment in the form of an EXE, VBS, BAT, and about 15 other formats should NOT be opened. When you apply the Microsoft patches correctly, you won't be able to open the attachments. Other patches will block embedded code that can fool your browser and word processing program into executing the virus.
Virus protection packages are a secondary line of defense that is becoming less effective as the virus inventors figure out how to work around them. Some viruses can infect your system through Internet Explorer and then disable your virus protection program, so don't blindly rely on the anti-virus program as your only protection. If you are using Outlook or Outlook Express as your email reader, or Microsoft Internet Explorer as your browser, visit Microsoft's Update page http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com and install any updates that Microsoft lists as "Critical". I will answer specific questions OFF-LIST. I will need to know what version of Windows you are running (from Windows Explorer, do Help...About), and what email reader and browser you are using. I cannot help with AOL, Mac, Compuserve, Netscape, or other non-Microsoft environments. If you do not have an anti-virus program on your computer (I don't), you can get a free online virus scan of your computer from this site: http://housecall.antivirus.com/housecall/start_corp.asp In addition to viruses, there are worm programs that send information about your web browsing to companies who will probably send you spam email. You can search for these programs on your computer, and eradicate them with a free program "Ad-Aware" http://www.lsfileserv.com/ Lastly, the hoax emails are an ongoing aggravation, and a source of embarrassment to anyone who falls victim. Suspect ALL emails that include the "send this to everyone you know" type of message. Investigate their validity by doing a search in Google, or by visiting one of the anti-virus and hoax information sites: http://urbanlegends.about.com/ http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/ http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html http://vil.mcafee.com/hoax.asp Jim Dantin ========================================================= "Magic Commands": to stop receiving mail for awhile, click here and send the email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20NOMAIL to start it up gain click here: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20MAIL E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for assistance. Search the Archives... http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ckcs-l.html All e-mail sent through CKCS-L is Copyright 2002 by its original author.
