Date:         Wed, 22 Jan 2003 13:11:47 -0500
Reply-To:     David Brodbeck <gull@CYBERSPACE.ORG>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         David Brodbeck <gull@CYBERSPACE.ORG>
Subject:      Re: No VAN CONTENT [file type question]
Comments: To: Joseph Fortino <fortinoj@SPEAKEASY.NET>
In-Reply-To:  <20030122155819.1829.qmail@webmail.speakeasy.net>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

On Wed, 22 Jan 2003, Joseph Fortino wrote:

> all i think this is a power point slide file

Mostly what you want to watch out for, besides files that are obviously
executable, is doubled file types. It's become common for viruses to send
files with names like "foo.txt.exe".  Since Windows, by default, hides
extensions, it ends up looking like "foo.txt"  to the person who gets it.

One solution to this problem is to tell Windows to stop hiding file
extensions.

For what it's worth, here's list of file types that are potentially
executable under Windows, taken from a filter I installed at work to strip
them out:

#               ade
#               adp
#               bas
#               bat
#               chm
#               cmd
#               com
#               cpl
#               crt
#               exe
#               hlp
#               hta
#               inf
#               ins
#               isp
#               jse
#               lnk
#               mdb
#               mde
#               msc
#               msi
#               msp
#               mst
#               pcd
#               pif
#               reg
#               scr
#               sct
#               shs
#               vbs
#               vbe
#               wsf
#               wsh
#               wsc

eml should also be regarded with suspicion, but is mostly harmless unless
you have an out-of-date version of Outlook.

             _ _
  __ _ _   _| | |  | David M. Brodbeck (N8SRE)              Ypsilanti, MI
 / _` | | | | | |  +-----------------------------------------------------
| (_| | |_| | | | @ cyberspace.org
 \__, |\__,_|_|_| "To the optimist, the glass is half full.  To the
 |___/             pessimist, the glass is half empty.  To the engineer,
                   the glass is twice as big as it needs to be."