From: "Rod Gasson" 


"Jasen Betts"  wrote
in message
news:1438464843{at}f1042.n640.z3.ftn...
> Hi Rod.
>
> 22-Mar-04 17:15:06, Rod Gasson wrote to All
>
>
>  RG> is, and why they are used, because I can assure you that no one has
EVER
>  RG> "run" a cookie file under any circumstances whatsoever.
>  RG> A cookie is nothing more than a simple plain text file. It isn't an
>  RG> executable, it can't be executed, therefore it can never ever cause a
>  RG> virus infection.
>
> well, a cookie is just data associated with a website, there's no
requirement
> that it be stored as a text file. (it has been done differently on
> different systems)

OK, this discussion now has the potential to be endless.
Exactly what is it that distinguishes "text" from "data" ?

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

> >> RG> The only way to get a virus infection is by actually RUNNING a
> >> RG> virus infected executable.
>
> like a spreadsheet or word document...

No, you cannot execute document or spreadsheet files.  Perhaps you are
confusing the MACROS that these files may or may not contain with the files
themselves. In which case we need to ask ourselves how did the virus embed
itself as a macro into these files in the first place. They didn't magically
just happen, it can only be caused by a user running an executable that
seeks out this type of file and then infects it.

If you are referring to a secondary infection, ie, if person 'a' sends
person 'b' a doc file or spreadsheet with the virus already embeded, and
person 'b' foolishly opens this file without first vetting it (thus
infecting other files), then I really can't see how this is any different
than if person 'a' simply sent person 'b' the virus executable in the first
place.

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

Cheers
Rod











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