From: "Rod Gasson" 
Reply-To: Fidonet AVtech Echo 


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bob Lawrence" 


>  So how do you find out what's inside a ZIP file without giving it
> free access to your computer?

Personally, I use "Quick view plus".  It lets you view zip files without
having to extract them, and if I do want to extract them it allow the option
to ignore any stored paths, thus allow me to save the files where *I* want
them saved.

You also need to keep in mind that viruses spread via zip files are actually
quite harmless - it is quite safe to unzip them without any fear of
infection.  The infection can only occur by running the executables that
they may contain.

>  I'm not on the Internet, but if I ever do it will be with a separate
> computer totally isolated with nothing of value anywhere on the drive.

Sheesh! talk about paranoid.  I've had my computer connected to the net 24/7
for many years now - It even has its own public IP address (always more
risky than a dynamic address) and in all this time I've yet to be infected
by a virus - in spite of recieving literally 1000's of them via various
means.

Why haven't I been infected you may ask?   Bloody simple. I just don't run
ANY executable program unless I know for sure that it isn't infected. You
cannot get a virus simply by reading email (unless you happen to be using
one of the old versions of MSoutlook that foolishly enabled email
attachments to be run without user intervention). The only way to get a
virus infection is by actually RUNNING a virus infected executable.  If
people stopped doing this, viruses would cease to exist !!!!

The fact that there are so many virus's around these days is testomony that
the majority of computer users are basically idiots!!

Cheers
Rod

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