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Re: Email and Computer settings to avoid infection

At 09:18 PM 2/13/01 -0600, jimmy george wrote:
>but i must open it to become infected, right? just recieving the mail will
>not infect me? are there any email settings i might change to protect me
>more?


I'm not an Outlook expert and I don't use it but in Outlook Express
here are some of the options you should look at.

Of course you should never execute programs that you receive from someone 
you
don't know.  But what if someone you know had their computer infected and
sent you something without even knowing it?  Be wary of any program you
receive.

In the case of this recent virus or worm, it has an attachment that is
really an executable VB script.  But the name is something.jpg.vbs.  If
you leave your Windows Explorer view options in their default settings
you will only see the file named as something.jpg and you might think
it is just a Jpeg picture.  So you click on it and it executed the script.
You should choose your View options to NOT hide the file name extesions
of known file types.  In Windows explorer choose View, Folder Options,
and then the View tab.  In that dialog window find and turn off
"Hide file extensions for known file types".

VB scripts that are embedded in the message do not have to be "opened"
to execute.  Simply reading the message will execute them.  To avoid
reading a message unintentionally make sure you have the Preview pane
turned off.  Do this by selecting your InBox and then go to View menu
and select layout.  In that dialo window turn off the "Show Preview Pane"
option.

In the Security tab of the Options menu select the restricted zone to
limit the active-X and VB script content that is allowed. Unfortunately
Outlook Express does not seem to specify what level of things will be
allowed or diallowed.  I guess Microsoft figures we wouldn't understand.
There may be more control of this in Internet Explorer.  It's also too
bad that you cannot control your Outlook email all from within Outlook.

   And to stop sending HTML encoded that many people cannot read:

     Options...Send Tab .. Mail Sending Format - Select Plain Text

Lastly, many of these worms travel by sending a copy of themselves to all
the email addresses in your address book.there has been at least one
security update for Outlook (and maybe Outlook Express) that disables
or warns if a program tries to access your address book.  Go to Microsoft's
WEB site and see if you can find it.  Read about it, download and install 
it.

I hope this is helpful.




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