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Downloading and Installing Software: instructions, Macintosh | Viruses: protection, hoaxes | Plug-ins and Active X: using plug-ins, common plug-ins, finding plug-ins, downloading and installing plug-ins | Helper Applications | Supplemental Links
While reading your email, you come across a message warning you not to open any email with "Goodtimes" in the subject line. The warning goes on to explain that the "Goodtimes" email contains a rather nasty virus which will severely damage your computer if you are foolish enough to open it. Do you believe the message? Do you vigilantly check all of your email for the "Goodtimes" subject line? Virus hoaxes can be difficult to detect, especially if you have limited knowledge about the inner workings of your computer. However, with a little knowledge, you can at least recognize what a virus can and cannot do. Infected Email? The first rule of recognizing virus hoaxes is to disregard any warning which claims that the virus is sent through a plain email message. YOU CANNOT BE INFECTED BY A PLAIN, TEXT-ONLY EMAIL MESSAGE. Email with enclosures or attachments are another story, since you are sending actual binary files. Sending files as attachments is really no different than if you copied the files onto a floppy disk and handed them to the person. In 1999, there were several instances where "worms" have infested computers. Worms aren't viruses, but they create different kind of problems. Like viruses, worms can arrive in the form of an attachment to an e-mail message. One troublesome file was named HAPPY99.EXE in the email subject or article attachment. When being executed, HAPPY99.EXE opens a window entitled "Happy
New Year 1999 !!" shows a fireworks display while it alters an important Internet-related file
(winsock32.dll) behind the scenes. The program sends copies of itself as attachments to others
you send messages to, without your knowledge. It doesn't really damage your computer, but
causes network problems that hurt all of us. You can read more about this specific case at either
of these sites: The safest way to protect yourself from this and similar programs is to simply never auto-open attachments, no matter who they are from. Treat enclosures and the attachments the same way you would items downloaded from a Web page. Save them to your computer and then scan them with your up-to-date anti-virus software before opening them. What About Other Virus Warnings? A number of sites exist which can help you sort through virus warning messages to determine if they are real warnings or not.
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