First off Valerie, those two emails are infected, get rid of them ,,, Not knowing how your mail client is set up I hate to tell you to click on them (select them in your Inbox, not open them) because these are the kind that can infect you without opening the attachment, if you have not yet clicked on them, DON'T. To answer your question and safe guard you at the same time is going to take a ton of explaining, so get comfortable. If you use a Microsoft e-mail client, you should have a "Preview" option available in your upper Tool Bar, if it isn't, it should be and can be put there ,, Why ?? ,, because if you are set up to Preview a msg. when you click on it in your Inbox, then that is the same as opening it (the msg., not the attachment) and if any vicious code is contained in the body of msg., then without protection, you are infected. Making the Preview option available in your Tool Bar allows you to turn Previewing On & Off at will (like turning a light On & Off). With Previewing turned off, you can click on any msg. without any fear of infection, this allows you to select certain msg.,s and delete them ,,,, safely. With all the bad guys and spam cleared out of your Inbox, Previewing can be turned back ON . The best way to permanently delete a msg. is to select it/them ,, press Shift+Delete and its' by-by ,, you do not have to chase it/them to your "Deleted Items" folder and delete a second time to be rid of them. Instructions for making Preview available in your Tool Bar: In OE 5 & 5+, you can activate your "Preview" option, which is an ON/OFF switch to turn Previewing ON or OFF. When Preview is OFF, you can click on any msg. without it being opened, thereby activating any URL's, Cookies or viruses that may be embedded within it. Right click anywhere on your Tool Bar ,,, select "Customize" . The "Customize Tool Bar" box will have two windows, the one on the left contains features NOT in your current Tool Bar and the window on the right contains features currently in your Tool Bar. In the left window, find "Preview" and click on it ,,, then click on the "Add" button between the two windows, this will add the Preview option to your Current Tool Bar. The Vertical lines between Icons are "Separators". You can position Icons where you want them in your Tool Bar by moving them UP or Down. If you need to make room for it in the Tool Bar, pick something you seldom or never use and move it over into the left window. To use the "Preview" option : click on the "Preview" button in your tool bar ,, this will turn Previewing off ,, you can now click on any msg. to delete it ,,, click on the "Preview" button again to turn Previewing back on. ******************************************** Your informant is correct, there are a number of virus' that are capable of infecting you without an attachment, all you have to do is open the msg. in your Inbox to read the body of msg., and BINGO ,, instant infection. I am also correct about RootsWeb list msg.'s because they are sent as Plain Text, and Plain Text cannot be executed (Run) ,, Plain Text is not a code, it is nothing more than written words. For a virus to be viable it must be written in an executable code and delivered in a format that will "Run" it when "Opened" ,, this means you must receive the msg. in HTML or RTF format ,, or ,, have an executable attachment that you "Open". RootsWeb will not even accept an email that is in HTML or RTF format or one that contains an attachment ,, they are instantly bounced. The current wave of infections are occurring because people are fooled into thinking that the shown attachment has to be opened for them to get infected, what they don't realize is that the "attachment" is not a true Attachment. It is what is known as an "Inline Attachment", which means that the attachment is not external from the body of msg. but is in reality embedded within the body of msg. but shows up in your Inbox as an external attachment. The only way to tell the difference between an "Inline Attachment" and a true "External Attachment" is to examine the Headers, a true external attachment will clearly state just before the code starts that it is an Attachment ,,,, an Inline Attachment will not. To examine the headers: click on msg.: 1. If previewing is turned ON: press Ctrl+F3 ,, then expand window to full page size. 2. If previewing is turned OFF: right click on msg. ,,, Properties / Details / Message Source button ,, expand to full page size. NOTE: it is safe to view any msg. in this manner. The current virus catching everyone with their pants down so to speak is the W32/BadTrans @MM, also called BadTrans B ,,,, the _ before a persons address is one of its' trademarks. This virus does no harm to your computer but does have the ability to find and extract credit card numbers and Passwords. To determine if you are infected, use the Start / Find and search your disk for these files: KERN32.EXE KERNEL32.EXE KDLL.DLL HKSDLL.DLL If any of them are found, you are infected. Go to http://vil.nai.com/vil/virusSummary.asp?virus_k=99069 to read the whole ball of wax. Norton AV will not detect this virus unless its' Dat files have been updated since this passed week end, and all AV,s MUST be set to scan Compressed files for it to be detected. I hope I have not strayed so far from your queston that my answer is unclear ,,, if I did, please ask again and I will try to be more to the point. Bob Hays [email protected] Richardson List & Board Owner _________________________________ ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, November 27, 2001 7:06 AM Subject: Re: [RICHARDSON] virus > Bob: > > One more question. I noticed this morning TWO different e-mails with > attachments that BOTH of them had an underscore as the beginning of the > senders address. (One was [email protected] other one was > [email protected]) > > Anyway, tell me this. IF I should open the e-mail BUT NOT download the > attachment and open it, am I infected. My understanding is that it is ok to > open the e-mail---you cannot become infected that way. You can even DOWLOAD > the attachment (although I wouldn't do that) as long as you don't OPEN it. > The virus is activated upon opening the attachment. IS THAT TRUE? > > Let all of us know---and let us know how sure you are of your information as > there is so much conflicting info going around. > > Valerie > > > ==== RICHARDSON Mailing List ==== > To use the Richardson Query Board: > http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/surnames/ric/Richardson > To review Archived messages: > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/RICHARDSON-L >
This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --------------8314528D335AB0B90D96C779 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=koi8-r Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Just a thought for everyone. Try reading your email off line, or delete suspected email off line. If your off line your system can not be infected. Hope this helps someone, Regards Robert Hays wrote: > > First off Valerie, those two emails are infected, get rid of them ,,, Not knowing how your mail client is set up I hate to > tell you to click on them (select them in your Inbox, not open them) because these are the kind that can infect you > without opening the attachment, if you have not yet clicked on them, DON'T. > To answer your question and safe guard you at the same time is going to take a ton of explaining, so get comfortable. > > If you use a Microsoft e-mail client, you should have a "Preview" option available in your upper Tool Bar, if it isn't, it > should be and can be put there ,, Why ?? ,, because if you are set up to Preview a msg. when you click on it in your > Inbox, then that is the same as opening it (the msg., not the attachment) and if any vicious code is contained in the body > of msg., then without protection, you are infected. Making the Preview option available in your Tool Bar allows you to > turn Previewing On & Off at will (like turning a light On & Off). With Previewing turned off, you can click on any msg. > without any fear of infection, this allows you to select certain msg.,s and delete them ,,,, safely. With all the bad > guys and spam cleared out of your Inbox, Previewing can be turned back ON . The best way to permanently delete a msg. > is to select it/them ,, press Shift+Delete and its' by-by ,, you do not have to chase it/them to your "Deleted Items" > folder and delete a second time to be rid of them. > Instructions for making Preview available in your Tool Bar: > In OE 5 & 5+, you can activate your "Preview" option, which is an ON/OFF switch to turn Previewing ON or OFF. When > Preview is OFF, you can click on any msg. without it being opened, thereby activating any URL's, Cookies or viruses that > may be embedded within it. > Right click anywhere on your Tool Bar ,,, select "Customize" . The "Customize Tool Bar" box will have two windows, > the one on the left contains features NOT in your current Tool Bar and the window on the right contains features currently > in your Tool Bar. > In the left window, find "Preview" and click on it ,,, then click on the "Add" button between the two windows, this > will add the Preview option to your Current Tool Bar. The Vertical lines between Icons are "Separators". > You can position Icons where you want them in your Tool Bar by moving them UP or Down. > If you need to make room for it in the Tool Bar, pick something you > seldom or never use and move it over into the left window. > > To use the "Preview" option : click on the "Preview" button in your tool bar ,, this will turn Previewing off ,, you can > now click on any msg. to delete it ,,, click on the "Preview" button again to turn Previewing back on. > ******************************************** > > Your informant is correct, there are a number of virus' that are capable of infecting you without an attachment, all you > have to do is open the msg. in your Inbox to read the body of msg., and BINGO ,, instant infection. > I am also correct about RootsWeb list msg.'s because they are sent as Plain Text, and Plain Text cannot be executed > (Run) ,, Plain Text is not a code, it is nothing more than written words. For a virus to be viable it must be written in > an executable code and delivered in a format that will "Run" it when "Opened" ,, this means you must receive the msg. in > HTML or RTF format ,, or ,, have an executable attachment that you "Open". RootsWeb will not even accept an email that > is in HTML or RTF format or one that contains an attachment ,, they are instantly bounced. > > The current wave of infections are occurring because people are fooled into thinking that the shown attachment has to be > opened for them to get infected, what they don't realize is that the "attachment" is not a true Attachment. It is what is > known as an "Inline Attachment", which means that the attachment is not external from the body of msg. but is in reality > embedded within the body of msg. but shows up in your Inbox as an external attachment. The only way to tell the > difference between an "Inline Attachment" and a true "External Attachment" is to examine the Headers, a true external > attachment will clearly state just before the code starts that it is an Attachment ,,,, an Inline Attachment will not. > To examine the headers: click on msg.: > 1. If previewing is turned ON: press Ctrl+F3 ,, then expand window to full page size. > 2. If previewing is turned OFF: right click on msg. ,,, Properties / Details / Message Source button ,, expand to full > page size. > NOTE: it is safe to view any msg. in this manner. > > The current virus catching everyone with their pants down so to speak is the W32/BadTrans @MM, also called BadTrans B ,,,, > the _ before a persons address is one of its' trademarks. This virus does no harm to your computer but does have the > ability to find and extract credit card numbers and Passwords. > To determine if you are infected, use the Start / Find and search your disk for these files: > KERN32.EXE > KERNEL32.EXE > KDLL.DLL > HKSDLL.DLL > If any of them are found, you are infected. > Go to http://vil.nai.com/vil/virusSummary.asp?virus_k=99069 to read the whole ball of wax. > > Norton AV will not detect this virus unless its' Dat files have been updated since this passed week end, and all AV,s MUST > be set to scan Compressed files for it to be detected. > > I hope I have not strayed so far from your queston that my answer is unclear ,,, if I did, please ask again and I will try > to be more to the point. > Bob Hays > [email protected] > Richardson List & Board Owner > _________________________________ > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Tuesday, November 27, 2001 7:06 AM > Subject: Re: [RICHARDSON] virus > > > Bob: > > > > One more question. I noticed this morning TWO different e-mails with > > attachments that BOTH of them had an underscore as the beginning of the > > senders address. (One was [email protected] other one was > > [email protected]) > > > > Anyway, tell me this. IF I should open the e-mail BUT NOT download the > > attachment and open it, am I infected. My understanding is that it is ok to > > open the e-mail---you cannot become infected that way. You can even DOWLOAD > > the attachment (although I wouldn't do that) as long as you don't OPEN it. > > The virus is activated upon opening the attachment. IS THAT TRUE? > > > > Let all of us know---and let us know how sure you are of your information as > > there is so much conflicting info going around. > > > > Valerie > > > > > > ==== RICHARDSON Mailing List ==== > > To use the Richardson Query Board: > > http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/surnames/ric/Richardson > > To review Archived messages: > > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/RICHARDSON-L > > > > ==== RICHARDSON Mailing List ==== > To use the Richardson Query Board: > http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/surnames/ric/Richardson > To review Archived messages: > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/RICHARDSON-L --------------8314528D335AB0B90D96C779 Content-Type: text/x-vcard; charset=koi8-r; name="just-bob.vcf" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Description: Card for Bob Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="just-bob.vcf" begin:vcard n:Binstein;Bob tel;home:818 / 341-7229 x-mozilla-html:FALSE adr:;;;;;; version:2.1 email;internet:[email protected] x-mozilla-cpt:;5952 fn:Bob Binstein end:vcard --------------8314528D335AB0B90D96C779--
I hate to disagree with you in public Bob but feel I must, HTML code and any other Executable code is just as deadly Off-Line as it is On-Line ,,,,,, other wise your computer would not work at all. Bob Hays [email protected] Richardson List & Board Owner _________________________________ ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bob" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:54 PM Subject: Re: [RICHARDSON] virus > This is a multi-part message in MIME format. > --------------8314528D335AB0B90D96C779 > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=koi8-r > Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > > Just a thought for everyone. > Try reading your email off line, or delete suspected email off line. > If your off line your system can not be infected. > > Hope this helps someone, > > Regards > > (snip)