Valhalla Legends Archive

...and somehow I got onto the topic of viruses -- particularly the common and popular e-mail virii.

I've decided that we just need to have a poster for people -- perhaps something that says something along the lines of "If you are a moron, do not use e-mail."

I don't understand what is wrong with people, that they can't recognize an e-mail that looks bogus, and thereby prevent themselves from getting a virus.

I don't think this is a problem with Windows or Outlook or anything that Microsoft is doing.  I think you need to find the fault with the m0r0n who is using the computer.

Yeah, obviously.  But nearly everybody uses email now, both computer-literates and illiterates alike.  As long as people who don't now anything about computers are using email, this is going to happen.

That's why I like hotmail/aol.. they're fairly idiot proof.

It's rather OK to just block attachments and viruses until you uncheck the hidden box in the options. That should reduce the virus risk lots.

A Good and Useful anti-viral (IMO) would be if the e-mail tool automatically set an ACL for group Everyone, rule Deny Execute when it saves files out.  Some macro viruses might still work, but at least people couldn't (easily) run the really nasty stuff.

My solution is NT specific, on the assumption that
1) there's few (if any) Linux users dumb enough to be infected who are actually able to use Linux and
2) anyone using a Win9x kernel doesn't belong on the Internet.  Get a real OS.

Denying execute is a nice idea. I used to do that for the temp folder.

Quote from: Myndfyre on February 02, 2004, 06:31 PM
I don't think this is a problem with Windows or Outlook or anything that Microsoft is doing.  I think you need to find the fault with the m0r0n who is using the computer.

PICNIC?

Outlook is the problem I think, it has the auto resend capabilities, mine is broken right now and I have no problems at all. Hotmail makes it so it would take considerably more time(I'm assuming, because most of it is server side) to write a macro that would work in Hotmail, and doesn't automatically open up emails.

One thing I do is not keep an address book.  Anybody important enough to email, I memorize their address.  Or I write it on a piece of paper or something like that.

Quote from: Kp on February 02, 2004, 07:35 PM

2) anyone using a Win9x kernel doesn't belong on the Internet.  Get a real OS.

No.