Re: Outlook Express Irritating Cleanup Dialog

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I know that's why it is called a zero-day virus, you're the one that emphasized the term. Guess what? Day zero is past, and it is doubtful that any AV software worth its salt has not been updated of that particular danger at this point. Let me guess, though: you think that once the virus is in the AV databases, it goes away never to be seen again; yeah, right, like that'll happen.... My AV databases are updated continually, throughout each and every day my system runs, its not a "once in awhile" thing; in fact, I just checked, and five new viral sources have been added to my protection in the past five hours this morning.

And here's an astounding, absolutely mind-blowing fact that you seem totally oblivious of: NO virus or malware, of any kind or form, that has never been seen before will be detected by ANY security system in the universe, NO MATTER what the source of the attack. ALL malware is "zero-day" malware for its initial appearance; your whole line of reasoning is flawed because it is based on that fact. Again, the virus has nothing that is specific to any email function (according to the MS documentation), email is simply the delivery vehicle as with zillions of other viruses. Scanning emails detects such viruses, but most viruses come through web-based attacks that do not involve email. In any case, detecting the **source** of the attack is what matters, and Kaspersky's and other AV software programs already do that, by detecting web sources that are not certified safe to begin with, whether they are likely to be infectious or not.

There are thousands of varieties of malware that are attacking PCs every hour, all you have to do is set up a simple honey pot to see that. Attacks via emails are the second-largest type of viral malware, so to ignore that source is just plain foolish. But you go ahead and ignore the second largest source of viral attacks on the net last year. Not me, I like to catch things BEFORE they do damage, not after the damage is done.

I will say it again: NOTHING you or anyone else said in this thread justifies refraining from scanning incoming email traffic to my PC. NOTHING anyone said even applies exclusively to email attacks. ALL the concern voiced here has been about "damage to email databases" and the like, which problem can occur from any number of different PC systems and software, among which good AV software is the LEAST likely to cause such problems.

My AV software, like all good AV software these days, as well examines incoming email for other types of malicious content or activity beyond viruses, and it does an excellent job of detecting and preventing such intrusive activity; it even "learns form doing as it goes", so that it does exactly what I want, and it learns very well through an interactive process. I would not abandon that functionality ever, and certainly not because MS cannot design an internet browser that is decently well protected from viral attacks (which to be honest is not MS's fault, it is the hackers that bear the blame).

But you go ahead and sit there in your little security blanket bubble doing nothing, waiting until doomsday strikes. As for me, I am done discussing this. I know I am protected as well as I can be, that is enough for me.



--
Pete B


"N. Miller" <anonymous@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:up6upikuxnec.dlg@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On Tue, 7 Jul 2009 09:15:23 -0500, Pete B wrote:

Alas, your AV scanner will not catch a zero day virus. They do exist, and
you'd better know how to handle one.

Modern email clients have safety features WRT handling active content in
email. Unless you override them, you won't get bit. You can do whatever you
wish, but nothing you do changes the way things are in the real world. You
may even hang garlands of garlic cloves at your doors and windows, if you
wish to repel vampires! ;)

Since, according to the information on the MS website, the "zero-day" virus is NOT
an email virus, your warnings are not applicable to this topic.

Eh? A "zero day virus" is *ANY* virus released by the malware authors, and
picked up by a computer user *BEFORE* the user's AV vendor has definitions
for that virus. It is a brand spanking new damned virus, which will evade an
AV scanner precisely because the AV vendor has not had an example from which
to derive a definition. They damned well do exist, and you damned well will
encounter one some day.

Nothing you have said justifies or even really concerns disabling scanning of emails.

Nor has anything you said justified enabling scanning of email.

Furthermore, that scanning need applies to any email client, not just IEx ...

Eh? Since when is MSIE an email client? It is an HTTP client, i.e, a "web
browser". Nothing more, nothing less.


... because this problem could happen with any client if the user was running IE.
The problem is as usual in Internet Explorer, that is where the fix (and your
attention) should be focused.

Heh. Maybe I don't need AV scanning of email because I don't use MS Internet
Explorer as my default web browser! ;)

--
Norman
~Oh Lord, why have you come
~To Konnyu, with the Lion and the Drum
.

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