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10 February 2004
if you don't know what it is, don't open it
Although the technogeek portion of the blog is usually where Terrence posts more sophisticated musings, I'm here to remind you of something we all heard as children, but should remember in the context of computer security:
"If you don't know what's inside, don't open it."
Case in point: viruses (or worms, or whatever new creature is on the loose) arriving in your email in nice little .zip packages. Just got two this morning. Even if the sender's address is one I recognize, I'm not going to open a .zip (or any number of file types) if there's no explanation of what I should expect to find. Even if there is, I'm probably not interested. Anything with "hot," "girlz," or some starlet's name is on its way to the trash. Getting a "hi" message with nothing more than an attachment from an AOL address gets the same slam-dunk delete treatment. Since Terrence reminded me of Mail's filters I've created several, and have noticed a difference in what makes it to my in box, and what's zapped.
I'm quite sure someone will think I've lead a completely sheltered, uncurious life. Not so. On the other hand (let me knock wood with one hand as I type with the other), I've not been plagued by virus and worm problems. Sometimes a word to the wise is sufficient...