Klarinet Archive - Posting 000214.txt from 2004/03

From: Mark Charette <charette@------.org>
Subj: Re: [kl] Virus
Date: Thu, 4 Mar 2004 09:18:15 -0500

On Thu, 4 Mar 2004, Ken Wolman wrote:

> Rule One: If you don't know the sender don't open the attachment. There
> is no Rule Two.

Corollary to Rule One: You never know who the sender is.

The From, Reply To, and other fields are easily forged (I get viruses
addressed as if they're coming from me or the "Sneezy.Org Email
Department" regularly). Even the name of the machine sending mail is
forged in many cases, and most people aren't going to be able to figure
out how to double-check the sending machine. And, if the virus is sent
from a friend using the same ISP as you ...then you've really got a
problem.

If you need to exchange files with a friend, use a different method (AIM,
Messenger, FTP, rsync, whatnot) but email file exchange is just too hard
nowadays.

Or learn about digital signing of email. I think that's going to have to
become de rigour for file exchange in the near future if attachments are
to survive.

Mark C.