[WEB4LIB] Two interesting articles dealing with viruses and IE/Outlook

[Daniel Messer]

    The first article on Banning Outlook was beautiful. While it isn't
completely realistic, I think it's far past the time that people woke up about
Outlook's failures in the security area. I teach basic Internet classes for the
library and I usually get one question per class about viruses and if the
student is vulnerable. I ask them if they use Outlook or Outlook Express for
their e-mail. If they say yes, I tell them that they're very vulnerable to viral
and worm attacks. After some explanations of how these worms and viruses use
Outlook to spread, they usually go home and get themselves a different e-mail
programme.
    Outlook has been around for years and its security features have not
improved. In fact, as more and more security holes come to light, Outlook has
become even more dismal than it was before. The last major worms used Outlook as
a method of transfer. Granted, they utilized other methods as well: Code Red
used flaws in IIS and Nimda has several different exploits. Yet Outlook still
played a major role in propagating these worms throughout the globe in a short
amount of time.
    So the thing is, when do people wake up and realize that Outlook keeps
biting them over and over again? Yes Outlook is easy to use, easy to set up, and
easy to keep running. But yes Outlook is totally unsecured, propagates worms
with ease, and Microsoft seems totally unwilling to do anything substantial
about the problem.

Dan

treed at clearwater-fl.com wrote:

> Greetings all,
>
> Thought these would be worth sharing.
>
> 1)
> http://techupdate.zdnet.com/techupdate/stories/main/0,14179,2814683,00.html
> "Ban Outlook - Now" by Steven Vaughan-Nichols.
>
> 2)
> http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/zd/20011003/tc/the_trouble_with_internet_explor
> er_and_how_to_handle_it__1.html
>
> "The Trouble with Internet Explorer (and how to handle it)" by Robert
> Vamosi.
>
> Both articles are a little heavy-handed but make very good points.
>
> Enjoy.
>
> -tracey

--
Mondai wa
The subject in question...
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Daniel Messer, Technologies Instructor
Yakima Valley Regional Library
102 N 3rd St Yakima, WA 98901
(509) 452-8541 x712
dmesser at yvrls.lib.wa.us
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When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.
                     -Hunter S. Thompson