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Re: [SG] Warning about email attachments: A Question

On Sun, 3 May 1998, CCREDUX wrote:
>
><<
> Again, a sad lesson to learn that one should always backup one's
> important files...a project due in the coming week SHOULD have been
> backed up to a separate floppy for safe-keeping...
>  >>
>
>Is it safe to open pix files such as jpg., tif, gif etc and txt and MIME files
>without checking? (I am a REAL novice, but I do send out a lot of scanned pix
>in jpg. format and many are on this list.)

_Generally_...one can display graphic files without a problem...but
there's no guarantee, it depends on your graphic browser, and a virus
COULD be hidden to be activated when a certain browser is run...

So it still comes down to running a good, up-to-date virus scanner
against the file -- and keeping in mind that twisted psyches are always
coming up with new viruses, so even a just-released version of a virus
scanner is still out-of-date...hence, can't be expected to necessarily
find ALL viruses...

So if YOU are sending out .jpg's and such, you're probably okay in that
you probably aren't sending a virus...and I presume your sending these
attachments to people you know, so it's not like an unknown attachment
from a stranger...

Text and MIME files are something else...probably safer than Word,
WordPerfect, spreadsheets, and .exe files, but no guarantee...again, the
best bet is to download to floppy instead of your hard disk, run a virus
scan on it, cross your fingers, hold your breathe, and then open them...
but make sure you've backed up your important files and have a clean
bootable floppy on hand, just in case...


June  ;-)
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