In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED] uk>, Norman Dunbar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes >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.
Yes, they use the 'common' extensions to seem normal or innocous. >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 ! Saving to disc is a good option for anything suspicious. >Make sure that explorer has been changed from the default setting which says >'hide file extensions for known file types'. This is a mojor bone of >contention as it basically means that the above file would show up as >'readme.txt' rather than 'readme.txt.scr' is the scripting engine is >installed on your PC. > >Sorry to be so off topic, but even as QL users we can't be too careful - >until we get our own email system. As most users are using M$ software and PC hardware, it worth discussing. As it keeps coming around :-) Receiving emails with Win 3.11 seems to work fine though :-) as the virus writers don't think to target it anymore. -- Malcolm Cadman
