From: "Rod Gasson" 

"Bob Lawrence" 
wrote in message
news:1080816168{at}p12.f610.n712.z3.ftn...

> RG> The point I was trying to make is that cookies are NOT
> RG> executable files, and a virus cannot spread unless it is
> RG> executed. Incidently, I've just taken a look at my cookie
> RG> directories (windows and linux) and each and every one of them
> RG> is marked as a "text" file.
>
>  How about I download a shortcut file and *that* runs an EXE?

Why would ANYONE download a shortcut file from anywhere?
You my just as well double-click on the I-am-a-virus.exe that's sitting in
your cache folder :-)

> I can
> call my shortcut "Shortcut to bigtits.txt" but that would be a lie,
> and fuckers who write viruses wouldn't lie.

Come on Bob, surely you can't be serious.

> > like a spreadsheet or word document...
>
> RG> No, you cannot execute document or spreadsheet files.
>
>  Yes you can. They have all sorts of things embedded.

As I disussed with Malcolm, you are confusing embeded macros, etc with the
file itself.
The doc/spreadsheet files are totally harmless, I read/view/print them all
the time using QVP, OpenOffice, or one of MANY other tools, and even those
that contain macro viruses are totally harmless under these conditions.
The HARM comes about when you load the application associated with the
virus, and it is the *application* that executes it and does the damage, but
the doc/ss file itself is as harmless as the "i-am-a-virus.exe" file thats
tucked away in that "bigtits.zip" file.

Surely even you can see this??

> RG> Perhaps you are confusing the MACROS that these files may or
> RG> may not contain with the files themselves. In which case we
> RG> need to ask ourselves how did the virus embed itself as a macro
> RG> into these files in the first place.
>
>  Perhaps a norty fucker like me did it.

Perhaps you did, and that is why I treat doc files, and in fact ANY file
sent to me via email as being a potential virus, and as such I WON'T double
click on it, therefore your norty little macro is going to sit there with
nothing to do.

See, common sense has saved me from being infected even by norty you.

> RG> They didn't magically just happen, it can only be caused by a
> RG> user running an executable that seeks out this type of file and
> RG> then infects it.
>
>  WORD also automatic macros that run when you start,

Do you think I don't know that?  Do you think other people don't know that?

>  open a file,
> close a file, and close. Just name your embedded template macro
> AutoOpen, use it to call virus.exe with VB, and WORD does it all for
> you. It's the Microsoft philosophy... no brain required, and they're
> jsut the brainless idiots to be writing this stuff.

But Bob, you are totally missing my point -  EVERYONE (ok, so MOST people)
knows about this, and now I know that YOU know about it, I'm going to ask
you a nice easy question - If I send you a Word .doc file would you blindly
double-click on it to launch Word KNOWING that I could possibly be sending
you a virus?
If you answer "yes" then you have confirmed that you are a fool, and you
should remain disconnected from the Net.
If you answered "no" and if you are prepared to never open unkown doc files
(without checking them first) then you have enough common sense to remain
online 24/7 and never have to worry about a virus infection.

> RG> If you are referring to a secondary infection, ie, if person
> RG> 'a' sends person 'b' a doc file or spreadsheet with the virus
> RG> already embeded, and person 'b' foolishly opens this file
> RG> without first vetting it (thus infecting other files), then I
> RG> really can't see how this is any different than if person 'a'
> RG> simply sent person 'b' the virus executable in the first place.
>
>  You send mail with the extension .DOC with an attachment VIRUS.EXE.
> Windows sees the DOC and opens WORD automatically, which then runs the
> AutoOpen macro which calls VIRUS.EXE and no brain required to fuck
> your computer. With Microsoft, there are many ways to stuff the
> system.

SHIT Bob !!!!   I don't know if you are the most trusting person on this
planet, or the most paranoid -  You'd have to be a real idiot to trust that
the .exe, .com .scr, .pif .gif or .jpg that someone unexpectedly sent you
really is what the extension says it is.

Your not an idiot. Why act like one?

> RG> As I keep saying, viruses don't 'just happen' - it takes user
> RG> input of one sort or another in order for them to spread.
>
>  I really wish that were true,

It IS true.

> the way it *used* to be when we had
> DOS, simple text editors, braindead Win31, no Explorer, and no Net.
> Microsoft has made it so complicated that there must be dozens of ways
> to screw the system and no brain required, either.

You are now way to paranoid.
Common sense is all it takes.

Rgds
Rod







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