Topic: Attachment refusal!

[Palustris]

Our Email prog is set up to refuse to download Attachments. All very well and good, but the ones it refused to allow through today, were both scanned by another Email program and allowed through, no bother. When I eventually retrieved them, there was nothing vaguely odd about them.
Difficult is it not, ultra safe or not?

[rdak]

Eric,
What type of file? Some newer versions of Outlook and Outlook Express block some file types, including MS Access databases. There is a way of retrieving them somewhere in the security settings. Let me know what type of file and I will investigate. Also, what email programme are you using and what Operating System?

Ross

[Palustris]

Outlook Express refused the files, one of which was an encrypted Word doc and the other was a.tif and the third had the suffix .ppt. We arer using Windows XP. In the end I went to Options and removed the tick from the box so that for a few minutes it would allow any attachments through. I could then see them.
After reading them I replaced the Security block for safety.

[kenkew]

Attachments will only infect if you open them. If you don't recognise the sender don't open the attachment. Security is all well and good but stopping all attachments?

[ava_banana]

Unfortunately Ken.......unless you have up to date anti-virus software.....I believe they can get in without you opening/saving the attachment.

http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_title=Vicious_Worm_Infects_Without_Attachment&story_id=23458#story-start

As outlook (and outlook express) allow you to preview your messages, this is opening them up (not the attachment, but the message) onto your screen.

As the news story above suggests.......there doesn't even need to be an attachment......

.......refusing all attachments though I would agree is a little over the top, however, keeping an updated virus check on email is the best thing to do.. ;D

Hope that helps....... :)

[tim]

Ava - have you a recommendation for the best firewall? = Tim

[rdak]

hmmmm...not sure why it would block .tif and .ppt because they are harmless. Unless it's a major problem, I would stick to what you are doing re: turning the attachment security on and off.

ava is right- you can now get infected without even opening an attachment, thanks to Outlook allowing dangerous code within the body of the email.  I always turn off the Preview Pane in Outlook, so that anything that doesn't look trustworthy is binned straight away. Make sure you have an antivirus programme that integrates with your email. The safest thing altogether is to choose an email programme that allows you to turn off Javascript in received emails.

Tim- I use Zone Alarm, which is free. Another popular one is Black Ice- never used it myself and heard a story this week about a security hole in it.

[ava_banana]

Nice one Gavin........I use Zone Alarm too.....

However, I also have a hardware firewall built into the Router....

...I use AVG anti-virus......which is free, and has picked up everything that has come in so far, it also integrates fairly well with Outlook Express... 8)

Good luck... ;D

[gavin]

Nice one Gavin

Aye - but it might have been Ross! ;)  Not to worry, I use Zonealarm and AVG too!

All best - Gavin

[ava_banana]

.......sorry, Ross...... :-[ :)

....thx Gavin...... ::)

[Gardengirl]

Going back to the attachment problem, I have received a Word doc. attachment from a friend and I find I cannot open it.  I went to Options, took off the tick from "Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could potentially be a virus" box but it still didn't work, or am I doing something wrong ???

Bearing in mind I am a bit of a computer thicky - although I am learning alot from you good folks - please could you give me some idea of what I can do.   ;) :)

[Palustris]

Click on the attachment and in the box which comes up there is an option to Open with, Try Openning the attachment in Word, or Word Pad or which ever word processing prog you use.

[Gardengirl]

The trouble is Eric when I click on the attachment paperclip I get a drop down with the name of the attachment and 'save attachment' both of which are not highlighted so I can't get into either of them.
I then clicked on File and then Open and had a message saying OE had removed access to the attachment.