[dba-Tech] Outlook question

Stuart McLachlan stuart at lexacorp.com.pg
Fri Dec 11 15:04:23 CST 2009


1.  If the email contains "web bugs" or "tracking links" they will be triggered by the preview 
pane unless you configure Outlook to not display linked images.

2. As far as malicious code in emails are concerned, see 
http://ask-leo.com/can_i_really_catch_an_email_virus_just_by_looking.html

It says in part: "Mail will not infect you just by looking at it if you are running a current 
version of Outlook or Outlook Express, and keep any version of the two up to date with the 
latest patches."   

Note the words "current" and "latest patches".   This  and the  comment below about "a 
decent security program"  both assume that you are only going to get emails containing 
known exploits which are covered by AV definition and/or patches.  It offers no protection 
against the next attack coming up.   Bottom line is that when the preview pane is used,  the 
email *is* effectively "opened".  If it contains HTML, this will be rendered by the Internet 
Explorer engine and you will be vulnerable to new attacks that come up.

-- 
Stuart

Happy and safe user of 
Pegasus Mail for 15 years.


On 11 Dec 2009 at 9:53, Susan Harkins wrote:

> Yeah, but is their complaint valid. If so, I need to offer some kind of 
> explanation. I really don't know what they mean by "automatically open." 
> Criminy... it IS Microsoft, they would have something so easy to screw up...
> 
> Susan H.
> 
> 
> 
> > If they had a decent security program it wouldn't matter what they had
> > outlook do.
> 
> 
> > In a recent blog, I showed the readers how to disable the automatic "read"
> > setting -- you know how Outlook bolds messages until they're "read?"
> >
> > So, there's a simple setting that still allows you to view the message in
> > the Reader Pane, but doesn't unbold the message header.
> >
> > Well, I've got a couple of readers who are claiming that this 
> > "automatically
> >
> > opens" the message and allows viruses in.
> >
> > They might be right, but I admit I'm confused. Anyone know what they're
> > talking about?
> >
> > http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/msoffice/?p=2354&tag=leftCol;post-2354
> >
> > Susan H.
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > dba-Tech mailing list
> > dba-Tech at databaseadvisors.com
> > http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/dba-tech
> > Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > dba-Tech mailing list
> > dba-Tech at databaseadvisors.com
> > http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/dba-tech
> > Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> dba-Tech mailing list
> dba-Tech at databaseadvisors.com
> http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/dba-tech
> Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com





More information about the dba-Tech mailing list