You can't get a virus by opening a message, you can get a virus by opening
the ATTACHED FILE.
When you see a message with a "paper clip" icon on or next to it this
indicates an attached file,  DELETE immediately messages with an attached
file unless you know who it's from and know what it is  say asking Betty for
an image of a new grandson you can expect an attached file from Betty, EASY
RIGHT . BTW,  you can open the message just don't open the attached file.
can we make this the final word on viruses
-----Original Message-----
From: John Jacobs <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Sunday, March 28, 1999 2:42 PM
Subject: Warning!
 
 
>This is a warning about a virus which has affected Outlook and e-mail
called
>the Mellissa Virus.  If you receive an e-mail with a subject reading " This
>is an important message", delete it immediately.  It may come under the
name
>of someone you know since it takes the name from your address book.  It can
>attach itself to any file which, like a parasite, goes along for the ride
to
>infect 50 other people.  CNN had a report on this today.  The below report
>was taken from C/NET at
>www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,3433400.html?tag=st.cn/sr1.dir.
>
>The virus, W97M_Melissa, uses a combination of Microsoft Word macros and
>Microsoft Outlook to send a list of 80 pornographic Web sites. It works
with
>either Word 97 or Word 2000, according to antivirus companies TrendMicro,
>McAfee, and Network Associates.
>
>The program is somewhat devious in that it sends itself from the email
>addresses of people who are likely to be familiar contacts, arriving as
>email with the subject line "Important message from..." followed by the
>sender's name. The body says "Here is that document you asked for ... don't
>show anyone else ;-)." The email includes an attached Word file "list.doc,"
>which includes the porn sites' addresses.
>
>The virus doesn't appear to cause any damage to infected computers except
in
>rare cases when the minutes of the current time match the date--for example
>at 4:26 p.m. on March 26. In this instance, the virus will insert the Bart
>Simpson quotation, "Twenty-two points, plus triple-word-score, plus fifty
>points for using all my letters. Game's over. I'm outta here," into a
user's
>active document.
>
>Because the virus sends itself to potentially thousands of contacts
>contained in a user's address distribution list, however, there's a
>possibility that the virus could overwhelm mail servers.
>
>John L. Jacobs
>Seffner, FL
>[log in to unmask]
>