With all of the virus worms about, I do not open any attachments. If this is the only way for receipt of "Users" information, I'll need assurances the attachments are virus free. Forrest Cheuvront.

The below message is very typical of most computer users who are afraid of getting a virus. Without meaning to sound like I am bashing these people, I want to set some facts straight. You cannot get a virus by looking at, or saving an attachment. You get the virus by executing the attachment. The only exceptions to the looking at are files for Microsoft's Word or Excel. They may contain Macros which are small executable programs that are executed when opening the files. Anti-Virus software has two basic modes of operation. First, the scanning capability of your system, either on demand or automatically at a preset time. Secondly, the full time scan for each file opened or saved. Some newer products also scan E-Mail upon arrival. Anti-Virus software uses a "signature file" which must be updated at least monthly to be of any use. If not kept up to date, why bother checking your system. Initially, when you install the program, the signatures are very old. Update immediately. Updates are usually included for some period of time before a fee is required. Take the time to learn about your computer, the software, and virus's. Education is the most important weapon against them and your best tool to prevent getting a virus. Know what you are saving on your computer and where it came from. Unexpected files, even from a trusted friend, can be suspect. Set you trust levels by how educated each individual is about their computers and content, then cut it in half. When in doubt, scan it first. There is no reason to be afraid of attachments. They are a powerful tool which many people use for transporting information. Much of this information cannot be easily transported without sending media through the mail as an alternative. Keep in mind, a virus can come from any source - floppys, CD's, or electronically. Dick ----- Original Message ----- From: "Forrest B. Cheuvront Jr." <cheuvront@juno.com> To: <FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, August 15, 2001 6:54 AM Subject: [FO] Re: FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS-D Digest V01 #254 > With all of the virus worms about, I do not open any attachments. > If this is the only way for receipt of "Users" information, I'll need > assurances the attachments are virus free. > Forrest Cheuvront. > > > ==== FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS Mailing List ==== > The Genealogical Companion http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/2399/tgc.htm > Browsable Archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/family-origins-users/ > > ============================== > Shop Ancestry - Everything you need to Discover, Preserve & Celebrate > your heritage! > http://shop.myfamily.com/ancestrycatalog

The script kiddies have made your assurances obsolete. Depending on your e-mail program and level of security patches, you can get a worm/virus by simply checking the box for showing the body of an e-mail in the preview screen. Some of the new little devils are 2 or 3 stage. You pick up one part simply by having an unread e-mail in your in-box, then you get another part from infected websites, and so on. The script kiddies have gotten quite creative. I wish they would use all that know-how and imagination to fix the bugs in Windows! Norma

Good advice from Dick Wells below. Except that I must say that updates need to be far more often than once a month. Norton AntiVirus has new updates available once per week, usually on Wednesday and if some particularly dangerous has appeared, they issue updates as soon as possible. Other programs also make frequent updates available when the nasties appear. The Sircam and Badtrans viruses went around the world in just a few days. I received several messages with Badtrans which were stopped because I update frequently. Since there are so many new ones appearing now, I along with many others, now look for updates EVERY DAY before going to the email or to the web. It takes such a short time to check that I cannot find a good excuse for not doing it. If an update is available, then it will take a little more time but that provides protection. I do not want to use any more space on this list for this topic. A good place to learn more is: VIRUS-DISCUSSION-L@rootsweb.com Clark Rogers At 06:50 AM 8/15/2001, Dick Wells wrote: >The below message is very typical of most computer users who are afraid of >getting a virus. > >Without meaning to sound like I am bashing these people, I want to set some >facts straight. > >You cannot get a virus by looking at, or saving an attachment. You get the >virus by executing the attachment. The only exceptions to the looking at >are files for Microsoft's Word or Excel. They may contain Macros which are >small executable programs that are executed when opening the files. > >Anti-Virus software has two basic modes of operation. First, the scanning >capability of your system, either on demand or automatically at a preset >time. Secondly, the full time scan for each file opened or saved. Some >newer products also scan E-Mail upon arrival. > >Anti-Virus software uses a "signature file" which must be updated at least >monthly to be of any use. If not kept up to date, why bother checking your >system. Initially, when you install the program, the signatures are very >old. Update immediately. Updates are usually included for some period of >time before a fee is required. > >Take the time to learn about your computer, the software, and virus's. >Education is the most important weapon against them and your best tool to >prevent getting a virus. > >Know what you are saving on your computer and where it came from. Unexpected >files, even from a trusted friend, can be suspect. Set you trust levels by >how educated each individual is about their computers and content, then cut >it in half. When in doubt, scan it first. > >There is no reason to be afraid of attachments. They are a powerful tool >which many people use for transporting information. Much of this >information cannot be easily transported without sending media through the >mail as an alternative. Keep in mind, a virus can come from any source - >floppys, CD's, or electronically. > >Dick > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Forrest B. Cheuvront Jr." <cheuvront@juno.com> >To: <FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS-L@rootsweb.com> >Sent: Wednesday, August 15, 2001 6:54 AM >Subject: [FO] Re: FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS-D Digest V01 #254 > > > > With all of the virus worms about, I do not open any attachments. > > If this is the only way for receipt of "Users" information, I'll need > > assurances the attachments are virus free. > > Forrest Cheuvront. > > > > > > ==== FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS Mailing List ==== > > The Genealogical Companion >http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/2399/tgc.htm > > Browsable Archives: >http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/family-origins-users/ > > > > ============================== > > Shop Ancestry - Everything you need to Discover, Preserve & Celebrate > > your heritage! > > http://shop.myfamily.com/ancestrycatalog > > >==== FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS Mailing List ==== >The Genealogical Companion http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/2399/tgc.htm >Browsable Archives: >http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/family-origins-users/ > >============================== >Visit Ancestry.com for a FREE 14-Day Trial and enjoy access to the #1 >Source for Family History Online. Go to: >http://www.ancestry.com/subscribe/subscribetrial1y.asp?sourcecode=F11HB

Dick Wells wrote: > The below message is very typical of most computer users who are afraid of > getting a virus. snip----------------- > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Forrest B. Cheuvront Jr." <cheuvront@juno.com> > To: <FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Wednesday, August 15, 2001 6:54 AM > Subject: [FO] Re: FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS-D Digest V01 #254 > > > > With all of the virus worms about, I do not open any attachments. > > If this is the only way for receipt of "Users" information, I'll need > > assurances the attachments are virus free. > > Forrest Cheuvront. Am I missing out on something? While I agree with everything Dick says (in both his messages), I am still puzzled as to what "Users information" is available as attachments. It certainly cannot apply to this list, or any other Rootsweb list, because any attachments are blocked, so what attachments are we talking about here? ------------------------------------------------------------ Jim Fisher in Luton, Beds, UK. jim@jimella.co.uk Personal site: http://homepages.nildram.co.uk/~jimella/home.htm Management accounting site: http://homepages.nildram.co.uk/~jimella/

Some of the digests come with the messages as an attachment. The Virus-Discussion list is one. Cliff > Am I missing out on something? > > While I agree with everything Dick says (in both his > messages), I am > still puzzled as to what "Users information" is available as > attachments. It certainly cannot apply to this list, > or any other > Rootsweb list, because any attachments are blocked, so what > attachments are we talking about here? > > ------------------------------------------------------- > ----- > Jim Fisher in Luton, Beds, UK. > jim@jimella.co.uk > Personal site: http://homepages.nildram.co.uk/~jimella/home.htm > Management accounting site: > http://homepages.nildram.co.uk/~jimella/

You can get the Family-Origins-Users messages in the regular way, each message as it is received by the list, and there are no attachments involved. The DIGEST list subscribers always get there messages as attachments to an e-mail message. The messages from the list are certified to be virus free, but, (and there is always one of these) In a person's haste, he could get a message that LOOKS like it came from the list when it did not, and that FAKE MESSAGE could POSSIBLY contain a virus. So you still have to be a little bit careful. The real digest messages will be From: FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS-D-request@rootsweb.com and the subject will be as follows, (the volume number increments with each mailing) Subject: FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS-D Digest V01 #255 Just be a little careful when opening your mail, You just never know when a Ted Kazinski (sp?) could show up on the internet. If you would rather get the regular list, send me a note with your email address and tell me to change it over. Or, you can do it yourself, by unsubscribing from the digest and resubscribing to the regular list. >UNSUBSCRIBE from the DIGEST list, Send the word: UNSUBSCRIBE(inside the message) and no additional text to: FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS-D-request@rootsweb.com Then to subscribe to the regular list: send the word "SUBSCRIBE" and no other test to: FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS-L-request@rootsweb.com the Family-Origins-Users-Mailing list administrator Alfred Eller ================= ----- Original Message ----- From: "Forrest B. Cheuvront Jr." <cheuvront@juno.com> To: <FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, August 15, 2001 7:54 AM Subject: [FO] Re: FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS-D Digest V01 #254 > With all of the virus worms about, I do not open any attachments. > If this is the only way for receipt of "Users" information, I'll need > assurances the attachments are virus free. > Forrest Cheuvront. >