Re: Virus Alert!

David (dstrother@pop.dn.net)
Mon, 17 May 1999 06:46:02 -0400


GAIL@UMDD.UMD.EDU wrote:

> This virus (or trojan horse) attaches itself without your knowledge to your
> email messages.
> 
> Couple of weeks ago I was at a friend's home and she was reading her email.
> One message (from a friend, so much for the "don't open any attachments from
> someone you don't know" advice). The attachment was labelled happy99.exe.

Gail is quite right.  The message with the trojan horse appears to have
come from someone you know, perhaps someone whose attachments you've
opened in the past....
since it uses the e-mail address list of an innocent person (one who has
opened the happy.exe previously and thought that it was nothing more
than a cute little fireworks display) to re-generate itself.

So Gail's qualifier is well-taken.  Any attachment can contain a virus;
those with the dread .exe are also self-executing.

David Strother
Bethesda, Maryland
dstrother@pop.dn.net