>Date: Wed, 20 Jan 1999 20:45:42 -0500 (EST)
>From: murr rhame <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Subject: Yet another virus alert
>
>I have a complaint which was forwarded to me by a list admin on my
>server. One of his $ubscribers claims to have been infected by a
>virus sent via a mailing list. Are there any email programs which
>automatically decode and run attachments without human intervention?
>... Sounds like something only a Micro$oft programmer would do. Is
>there any way to get a virus via email without some significant
>clueless efforts on the part of the recipient?
>
>On a tangential note, I noticed a significant increase in my spam rate
>shortly after my recent postings to list-managers. I hope it's only a
>coincidence.
<SNIP>
Indeed, it is possible, depending on the type of virus. Microsoft's
Outlook does have a problem with some, specifically constructed
email messages, and I seem to remember hearing about
something of the sort - in which it would automatically decode and
execute attached executable files.
Other email clients which allow the launch of attached files
(though perhaps not automatically) would also allow an infection to
spread. This is the problem at my site; we have users who will get
MS Word or MS Excel documents by email, and view them, and
this will infect their computer with a macro virus.
The other problem we see, near holidays, is that people will send
our users executable programs (*.exe) which they will run,
unknowing, and get a cute Christmas scene or such... and a virus.
We try to educate our users, including (especially) publication of
each incident in which someone gets burned by this... but it only
marginally seems to help. :-/
Anthony J. Albert
==============================================================
Anthony J. Albert [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Systems and Software Support Specialist Postmaster
Computer Services - University of Maine, Presque Isle
Attention: the next meeting of the Time Travellers' Society
will be last Tuesday.
