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Thread ID: 43467	2004-03-15 23:18:00	Virus alerts from email "recipients"	John H (8)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
222795	2004-03-16 05:06:00	> Why would you even bother saving them to your hard > drive when they are obviously virus emails, I would > have thought deletion as soon as possible would be > more sensible. > > Why some people play around with emails with > attachments from people they don't know and risk > infection is beyone me and probably goes a long way > to explaining why they keep getting spread around. For myself, at the height of the my doom flood, etc, I have received several emails from govt entities and people I deal within an organisation that would appear to be legit and haven't been picked up by either my or my ISP's scanners. The safest thing to do, IMO, is drop them un-opened in a folder or your desktop so that your, updated, anti-virus app can deal to them. I've never been infected by doing this but, my time may come, but, I also have to carry on with business and email communication is an important part of that. Not using MS email helps to an extent however having IE on the machine even tho not using it doesn't help the safety angle much. Cheers Murray P	Murray P (44)
222796	2004-03-16 07:02:00	Organisations or individuals are not likely to be sending attachments with extensions such as pif scr cmd bat and so it is reasonable to assume they are a virus and are best deleted and avoid the temptation to have a peek even if the sender appears to be from a known address which you have previously received email from.	Jim B (153)
222797	2004-03-16 07:58:00	> ... Strangely enough AVG has not always picked up that > the attachments are viruses when they come into the > Inbox but if I save them to the hard drive it will > immediately jump on them. NAV did not pick up, too.	bk T (215)
222798	2004-03-16 11:20:00	Jim, I don't view the emails to check out what the extension is, I drop the whole email into a folder for scanning, I don't want to open them if they're suspect . For some reason the ISP's or my anti-virus does not always pick up the attached file as a virus while still in the mail client but jump on it if it's moved . Quite a few viruses travel in zip files which I legitimately receive from time to time and it is usually these that slip by . Not all turn out to be viruses of course . I have noticed that Brightmail anti-spam is pretty good at picking up viruses as well as spam . Cheers Murray P	Murray P (44)
222799	2004-03-16 11:50:00	Someone who has your email addy has got a virus and they run O or OE. The sooner people stop using those two the better.	mikebartnz (21)
222800	2004-03-16 11:54:00	>from important looking addresses You must know some important poeple who use O or OE because that's how they got your addy. >attachments are viruses when they come into the Inbox Outlook is obviously not your default Email program.	mikebartnz (21)
222801	2004-03-16 20:21:00	> You must know some important people who use O or OE because that's > how they got your addy. Or non-entities, who knew someone who knows someone else who knows someone in higher places who knows someone who thinks they are important but actually knew someone who is ;) Cheers Murray P	Murray P (44)
222802	2004-03-16 20:34:00	> John H was not referring to emails with a virus attachment . > He was talking about messages he received advising him that email sent from his email address could not be delivered due to them containing a virus . I know that, that is why I added "have yet to have any give me a telling off for lax security" . > Why would you even bother saving them to your hard drive when they are obviously virus emails, Because the first ones that came in were detected by AVG as being infected but subsequent emails were not . I was puzzled as to why AVG was not detecting them and wondered what it would do if I saved them as I have recommended AVG to a few less-computer-savvy people . I know better than to do anything other than delete them but was concerned about what might happen to them . I was reassured when AVG jumped on the viruses when saved so it was all good . I only mentioned that in case it helped someone here with the same concerns . > I would have thought deletion as soon as possible would be more sensible . There is always the possibility that it is a new virus and AVG may not have been updated for it . . Absolutely . That is exactly what I normally do . See above . > As well some virus emails do not require the attachment to be opened to activate . Another reason why I love Eudora . ;-) > Why some people play around with emails with attachments from people they don't know and risk infection is beyone me and probably goes a long way to explaining why they keep getting spread around . Very true for most people, but I wanted reassurance that my friends were not going to unwittingly infect themselves by accident due to AVG possibly not doing its job . I am pleased to say that it did . If it wasn't doing its job I would then be able to warn my friends and hopefully prevent them - and their friends - from being infected . Isn't that a sensible precaution? > Delete them as soon as possible, do not save or open the attachment and do not even open the email if possible . That is my usual procedure . > If you do not know the person who sent it is not something you need or want . I receive heaps of emails from people who are not personally known to me due to work I do and cannot always be sure they are all legitimate . However, the infected emails are normally easy to spot, fortunately . > You must know some important poeple who use O or OE because that's how they got your addy . If they are, I wouldn't know . :D > Outlook is obviously not your default Email program . Spot on, Eudora is the chosen one . :-)	Susan B (19)
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