-=> Quoting Rick Collins to The Visionary <=-
 tv> What if you store viral code in an image, and then that code is
 tv> executed by the image VIEWER you use to look at it? Wouldn't
 tv> that be the same as a macro virus -- dormant until Word executes
 tv> it?
 RC> The image viewer doesn't _execute_ the image data.  It's _data_, not
 RC> code.  And, no, it's not the same thing as a "macro virus".  Macros
 RC> _are_ expected to be executed.
        Macros are INTERPRETED, not executed. The macros are interpreted by
MS-Word. The images could also be INTERPRETED in the same manner. What about
reading a binary newsgroup where there are MIME-encoded images in the group.
Netscape Mail (or whatever reader you're using) has the ability to decode the
files on the fly so you can view them. If the MIME-encoded portion had some
viral code in it, it would also be possible to have Netscape act as the
infector, by decoding and interpreting what it saw. If you knew enough of the
Netscape API, you could tailor a nasty virus that worked in this fashion.
(This isn't limited to images, since Netscape has hundreds of built-in
interpretors and more plug-ins than I can count).
-The Visionary
visionary@brazerko.com
... "Apple" (c) Copyright 1767, Sir Issac Newton.
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