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Spyware, viruses, & security : Please don't preview emails.
- 5/24/05 4:33 AM
What version of Outlook ...
by KV - 5/30/05 4:47 AM In reply to: (NT) as a matter of fact it is on in default. by dawillie... are you talking about? Outlook Express maybe? Which has never been very good security-wise. Outlook XP perhaps? Or an even older version?
Because Outlook 2003 has downloading of remote images turned off by default. If you receive HTML messages, all you'll see is red X's, with the remark that Outlook has blocked the download of those pictures, but that you can download them by right clicking and yadda, yadda ...
The preview pane (which is now called "reading pane") is on by default though, but that doesn't matter if it's not contacting unknown websources unless you OK it first.
Agreed, but its difficult for casual user..
by Melati Hitam - 5/27/05 10:21 AM In reply to: Please don't preview emails. by R. Proffitt
We tell them not to use it... they will ask... How do you read the email... and How do you know the email is clean .. and so on...
This also applied to 'do not open attachment..' thing...
then its end up to .. why the feature is available, if its only creating problem and extra step for the users.
just a weekend thought
E-mail Previewing
by lambchop - 5/27/05 10:46 AM In reply to: Please don't preview emails. by R. Proffitt
I have the orginal MailWasher which does not open anything. It gives the sender's addy and subject matter if there is one. You can preview the header if you like, but I usually don't.
I do all of my e-mail previewing this way and then send it to Outlook Express 6. It takes a little extra time, but I pick and choose what and what not to keep.
Peggi
Preview
by chevyone - 5/27/05 10:51 AM In reply to: Please don't preview emails. by R. Proffitt
I use Outlook both at work and at home and I get ton's and tons of garbage email. I never answer them and I was wondering why in the world I keep getting the same ones everyday. Well, I have my preview screen activated and I after reading this I guess that's why. I sent this info to our IT guys and perhaps they will notifiy the rest of the company.
Thanks!
Not that simple, the spammers..
by Melati Hitam - 5/27/05 11:00 AM In reply to: Preview by chevyonealready have your address...
Safe way to read a suspect email?
by tgt - 5/27/05 11:24 AM In reply to: Not that simple, the spammers.. by Melati HitamIf the mere attempt, when an email is opened normally or in the preview pane, to download a picture gives the (rogue) web server you email address, then I suggest doing this to see the content:
Right click on the entry, click Properties, click the Details tab, click Message Source. This will show the email in raw format. You can even maximise the window.
In most case where the message is not encoded, you can get a pretty good idea what it is.
An alternative way is to drag the entry to, say, the desktop and open it there with notepad.
How about the 'is this Junk' email tools?
by franknemec - 5/27/05 11:13 AM In reply to: Please don't preview emails. by R. Proffitt
Netscape and other tools look at each email, including the content, to attempt to classify it as Junk. I would expect and hope they would not follow html references like this, or look into attachments. Anyone know for sure?
Does the Outlook preview run attachments? If so, the preview is enough to bless you with a virus.
as a matter of fact
by dawillie - 5/27/05 12:21 PM In reply to: How about the 'is this Junk' email tools? by franknemecthere was a virus a few years ago that was very active and successful based on the preview pane being open by default.
this meant that the moment the infected file appeared in the preview area it opened and infected the PC.
regret the name eludes me.
Previewing e-mails
by pla1945 - 5/27/05 11:20 AM In reply to: Please don't preview emails. by R. Proffitt
Sorry for this ignorant question...but, what exactly is previewing e-mails?
I use Windows Hotmail. When I get a questionable e-mail, I just move the cursor over the sender's address and over the subject line to see if anything looks suspicious. Is that "previewing"
Thanks very much.
Nope, _that_ isn't...
by Havin_it - 5/27/05 11:48 AM In reply to: Previewing e-mails by pla1945Previewing (in the context of this discussion) means the mail program on your computer actively renders any HTML in the message, including downloading any images contained in the HTML code. Hotmail is web-based email, you use it in a browser, so in the past, opening any Hotmail message would have 'painted' you.
Hotmail have improved things nowadays by not linking to these images without your express instruction. So that particular threat is minimised.
Too bad the same can't be said of Outlook Express. I believe it still to this day leaves the Preview pane (the thing which coined the term, I believe) active in a default install. You can either turn off the Preview Pane altogether (highly recommended!) or alternatively you can disable rendering of any HTML content in emails (even better in many ways).
Just don't ask me to tell you where these settings are, as I ditched 'Look-out!' (as it should be known) a year ago and moved to Thunderbird.
Why? Tbird is actively developed by folks who are mindful of security Gotcha's like this and various others for which Outlook is (in)famous. The result: No preview pane by default, and if you _do_ decide to use it, no HTML or images until you click the big button! (And to reassure Ma & Pa, the look, feel and behaviour are crafted to be very similar to Outlook. On first run it will even import all your settings and mail for you!)
That's the advert over.
Outlook 2003 and Gmail block images in preview by default
by sk_austin - 5/27/05 12:00 PM In reply to: Please don't preview emails. by R. Proffitt
The latest version of Outlook (Outlook 2003) blocks images or any external sources in the Preview Pane unless you explicitly choose to display them. It does this specifically to block spammer attempts.
Gmail (by Google) blocks images the same way.
sk
NospyMail does the same thing for earlier Outlook versions
by joetahoe - 5/27/05 8:45 PM In reply to: Outlook 2003 and Gmail block images in preview by default by sk_austinIt is freeware and can be downloaded here:
http://www.belshe.com/nospymail/
Should be stopped at source
by GBTrevor - 5/27/05 12:08 PM In reply to: Please don't preview emails. by R. Proffitt
Preview pane is and always has been a bad thing to have turned on, as well as a sure way to get some types of infections, so
WHY DO MICROSOFT STILL HAVE IT SET TO 'ON' BY DEFAULT?
(NT) How do I get rid of the Preview Pane?
by nemolar - 5/27/05 12:31 PM In reply to: Please don't preview emails. by R. Proffitt
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