Re: Life is beautiful pps

Tech-Archive recommends: Fix windows errors by optimizing your registry

From: Ken Blake (kblake_at_this.is.an.invalid.domain)
Date: 01/28/05 

Date: Fri, 28 Jan 2005 13:18:44 -0700

In news:ctdogs$egd$1@sparta.btinternet.com,
Henry Stable <henry.stable@btinternet.com> typed:

> I've started to get messages warning me not to open an e-mail
> attachment called "Life is beautiful.pps" as it will unleash a
> virus.
> I'm very careful not to open mail from people I do not know;
> however
> I can't say the same for the sproggs. Does anyone know if this
> is a
> hoax please?

Nine times out of ten, when E-mail messages like this start going
around, they are hoaxes. This one is no exception. See
http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/life.is.beautiful.hoax.html

But more important, it's absolutely foolhardy to open any such
attachment sent to unless you are sure it doesn't contain a
virus. In other words, assume that any attachment (even one known
to be a hoax) contains a virus unless you know differently.

How can you be sure there's no virus? It's very hard, but first
know who sent it you (and be sure that he really did send it, and
it wasn't someone else using his return address); know that the
person who sent it is both trustworthy and skilled enough to not
get infected; know that it was something you were expecting.

I'm sure that my brother-in-law wouldn't send me a virus on
purpose, but I also know that he has minimal computer skills, and
that he works in a corprate environment where infections are
common. He often sends people attachements, but I've told him
that I won't open any attachments I get from him.

As a matter of fact, I basically don't open excutable
attachements at all, except from a very few trusted sources, and
then only if I'm expecting them. 

-- 
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
Please reply to the newsgroup

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