🚀 go-pugleaf

Kathy and Jim Ault (aultj@alum01.its.rpi.edu) wrote:
: > > > Please do not read any mail messages with the subject
: > > > "Good Times"   it may contain a virus.   Just delete the message.

: This is a HOAX.  What it really does is waste diskspace, time and
: energy of well-meaning people.   It is NOT a virus.    If you find
: people spreading a note about the GoodTimes Virus, show them the FAQ.

: The Good Times Virus Hoax FAQ 
: ---------------------------------------------
: FTP to usit.net and look in the pub/lesjones directory. The URL is:

: ftp://usit.net/pub/lesjones/good-times-virus-hoax-faq.txt

Actually, with the full integration of MIME this is becoming more of an
issue.  Recently a MIME message was circulated on one of the big providers 
which when read, asked the user if they wanted to execute an attachment ...
Needless to say, the users said yes and their drives became history.

I experienced another harmless example when I was administering a cluster
of NeXT workstations.  NeXT's use display postscript, which 
is now becoming more popular with other OS vendors too, but is also (or
at least at the time) known to have security problems.  Reading a certain
mail message could cause all your windows to "fall" to the bottom of 
the screen, as if, by some magical force of gravity.

In other words ... the days of safe e-mail may be counted ...  Then again,
if Java proves to be safe, perhaps we will be reading Java-mail.

Alexander