In a message dated 2001-12-12 1:55:07 Pacific Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
> Any operating system worthy of the name wouldn't process any > kind of virus and ISPs should live up to their obligation of > Providing Service and bounce any message containing a virus. A virus that would be processed *by the operating system* is just an executable program. It would be extremely difficult -- "impossible" is a word we all try to avoid -- to detect, before running a program, whether it replicates itself and/or causes harmful side effects. That is the job of anti-virus software. And Microsoft is now finding itself in legal trouble for bundling "extras" like anti-virus software into their operating systems and thereby driving specialized companies out of business. Both of the systems I use run Microsoft OS's (Windows 95 (!) at home and 2000 at work), and yet I almost never get affected by these viruses. At home I use CompuServe 5.0, and at work I use Lotus cc:Mail 8.5. Neither of these e-mail clients will download, let alone execute, any attachment (including a virus) without user intervention. The gatekeeper for e-mail viruses is the e-mail client, not the operating system. As Clive Hohberger said, Microsoft Outlook is the preferred target for e-mail viruses, not only because it is the "biggest and most symbolic target around" but also because it is the closest thing there is to a "standard" e-mail client. Imagine writing an e-mail virus that sent itself to everyone in your CompuServe address book, or your cc:Mail address book. That would be like crashing an airplane into a dollhouse. -Doug Ewell Fullerton, California
