Re:

hmm, what would foucault say about all this....?

>Date: Wed, 03 Jun 1998 13:29:59 -0400
>From: Reg Lilly <rlilly@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>To: foucault@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: Re: "WIN A HOLIDAY" is a known virus HOAX!
>Reply-To: foucault@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
>m, said,
>> This is not as pristinely true as it used to be. The problem is that
the
>> notion of "reading" mail has changed. When you "read" your mail
using
>> a POP server with a PC-based mail client, such as Eudora or Netscape,
>> then the "reading" already entails both a downloading and, if the
mail contains
>> an attachment, a possible "execution" of the attachment as a program.
So it is
>> in fact conceivable that by reading your mail, in this updated sense,
you will
>> introduce a virus.
>
>But aren't attachments closed files that would need to be opened in
order to
>activate a virus? Even if you agree to a prompt to save an attached
file, it
>seems that file would be inert until one opened it. If you trash an
infected
>file before opening it, it seems you should be safe.
>
>reg
>


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