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Thread ID: 25665	2002-10-09 04:55:00	Bugbear Worm	eef2 (1904)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
87447	2002-10-09 18:38:00	Netscape Messenger puts the extension name in the body of the email so it is possible to set up a filter with the extensions you want to catch.	Jim B (153)
87448	2002-10-09 19:03:00	I sent myself a few *.exe and *.scr files to test Outpost and it detected all of them. A message pops up to announce the files with those extensions and it automatically renames them eg "control.exe.safe". I guess renaming them prevents them running by accidentally opening them or something. Also, I notice that if I click on the paperclip in OE to save or open them there is no option to open the attachment, only to save it. So unless the attachment comes in as part of the message or some clever way then Outpost offers a certain degree of protection. I still be very cautious though.	Susan B (19)
87449	2002-10-10 04:17:00	Jim, I did have Eudora set up to move messages that contained certain extensions, eg ".exe", ".vbs" to a seperate folder. But I got too many false matches from messages that mentioned filenames. Although with a bit of work the accuracy could be improved, especially if it supported regular expressions like k-mail. Susan, I think bugbear uses an encoding that outpost doesn't understand. Unfortunatly the origional messages were lost when AVG removed the attachments so I can't check.	bmason (508)
87450	2002-10-10 04:50:00	Yes, I agree that is certainly a possibility, and I don't use this method for that very reason. But for people who are not content with just deleting emails with these attachments and want several other safeguards it is another option.	Jim B (153)
87451	2002-10-10 05:13:00	Ummm... I may be misreading the posts here but comments like: >>Left wondering why windows/temp couln't be excluded from a batch or script file that would ban .exe files from windows. makes me want to clarify something. .exe files are program files. To make Word run you click on the file word.exe, to make the calculator run you click on calc.exe. Thus 117 .exe files would be pretty normal in the Windows directory. Viruses are just malicious programs using the standard .exe (executable file) extension. ie a programmer has written a nasty program instead of a good one and figured out a way to get people - or a computer - to run it so it can do it's dirty work. If on first look you didn't see any .exe files go into Windows Explorer, Folder Options, View and make sure "Hide file extensions for known types" is unchecked. Microsoft have it checked by default so a file that looks like "mycat.jpg" can actually be "mycat.jpg.exe". Several viruses have used this to trap the unwary.	Heather P (163)
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