> unjustified. It /is/ possible to transmit viruses by email through
> some programs--in particular Windows-based programs. Messages that
> contain MS-Word attachments, for example, can contain Word Macro
> viruses, and embedded OLE objects cause the activation of locally-
> resident code that may have security holes.
Yep, the Word viruses are endemic in some of our foreign offices; seems
like every Word file they send has at least one of them. I also read
recently (comp.risks, perhaps?) about a Javascript virus or trojan which
someone had been mailing out. Of course the latter doesn't affect me,
since I know the difference between a Web browser and an email program.
Then there was the MS-specific virus a few months ago which, when
activated, would mail a copy of itself to every person in your email
addressbook. I think that was another Word macro.
So email used to be safe when it was straight ASCII, but recent attempts
to 'jazz it up' have greatly increased your chances of getting a virus by
email. I'm sticking to Pine and Privtool.
Mark
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