On Tue, 5 Feb 2002 at 08:20:40, Norman Dunbar wrote:
(ref: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>)
>Malcolm wrote :
>
>>> So look out for anything with .com or .exe in the file name.
>
>As I get involved in the virus protection of our installation from time to
>time, here is a partial list of the file extensions we block to avoid
>virusses :
>
>exe, com, scr, vbs, pif, html, htm, drv, 386, doc, xls, xlt, dot ....
>
>The list is quite large I'm afraid, only .txt, and .dat and .zip get through
>unscathed, but zip files will be opened and the contents scanned. If the zip
>file is password protected, then the file is quarantined - just in case. We
>block some wierd extensions, but these are ones that virus writers have used
>in the past.
>
>The best way to avoid these things is 'just be careful'. If you get an email
>from *anyone* with an attachement, save it to your disc first before opening
>it. Then, use explorer to find out how many extensions the file really has -
>some things come through as 'readme.txt.scr' but people see only the
>'readme.txt' bit and assume it is harmless - it is not !
Even better - if it is unsolicited, then email the sender back and ask
them.
I did that with Basil Lee's 1 mb Xmas card, and got a mention in the
Quanta editorial (8-)#
.... and I never did look at the card (8-)#
Mind you even if the sender did it intentionally, then still be wary.
The 'fireworks' virus a few years back was sent to me intentionally -
its fairly benign effects did not appear for some time.
>Sorry to be so off topic, but even as QL users we can't be too careful -
>until we get our own email system.
I reckon this is very much on topic - we mainly have to use non-QL
systems to access this, and any hassles thereof are OT in my mind.
--
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