CoTipperary-L Archives

Archiver > CoTipperary > 2001-04 > 0986502081


From: "J. Terry Ryan" <>
Subject: Response from Roots Web regarding viruses from a list
Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2001 13:21:21 -0700


Well, folks, here's the response I just got from the Listmaster at Rootsweb
regarding viruses -

Terry Ryan, List Owner
Co. Tipperary Mailing List

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Basically, here's what happens, that causes folks to assume it's the list:
the virus sends itself to everyone in the person's mailbox, and I think also
picks up email addresses from whatever email they have sitting around in
their folders.

Therefore, an infected person is apt to zap whoever's been posting to lists
they're on. The virus doesn't touch RootsWeb, but RW becomes "how the virus
got their email address", i.e., from list traffic the infected person
received.

The lists themselves are incapable of sending the virus: plain text with no
non-text attachments whatsoever (which the server strips them to if they
didn't start that way), passing thru a UNIX server, cannot transport an
executable virus.

It's actually not a threat anyhow, as long as you don't set your email
program to open attachments automatically and don't open them manually.
Just delete it on sight and you're utterly unharmed.<g>

Megan "Piglet" Zurawicz, ListPig


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