Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2004 06:07:47 -0600 (CST)
From: Jonathan Koren
To: csgrads
Subject: A General Flame
On Mon, 29 Mar 2004 someone in regards to "hi" wrote:
> your name is wrong!
>
> [ Part 2, Application/OCTET-STREAM (Name: "warez.htm.exe") 32KB. ]
> [ Cannot display this part. Press "V" then "S" to save in a file. ]
Let me start out by saying that this email isn't directed at any one person,
but rather is a general flame to the SIU CS graduate student community at
large.
For some reason, several times every semester, someone (and it's not always
the same person mind you) decides to spread email worms. I use the word
"decides" because because email worms can't spread on their own. They need
a person to make the concious decision to execute them. Apparently what
goes through these persons' minds is: "Hmm. I have received an unexpected
email from someone I may or may not know. This email contains a cryptic
subject line and an even more cryptic body. Oh look! It also has, an
executable attachment, with a name that is a poor attempt to camouflage the
fact that is an executable. I've heard of email worms, and I've heard that
they propagate as executable attachments. I wonder if this one. LET'S SEE!
*click* HUZZAH! IT IS! I AM THE GREATEST!".
The thought process is either that, or some here need to take cs200 or some
other remedial "Let's Learn the Computer!" course. In the interest of
time, and my sanity, I'll review the most salient point. If the filename's
extension (the letters after the last dot (the thing that looks like this -> .
(the speck, not the arrow))) is "exe", "com', "vbs", "shm", "pif", "bat", or
that of any other executable (a program (a file you can run (something like
"solitare"))) then DO NOT CLICK IT!
I know that had alot of technical jargon in it, so I'll simplify it. If you
are not expecting an attachment, and you do not recognize the type of
attachment, then DO NOT CLICK IT! It's just that simple, and just that
preventable.
I too understand the strong pull of the siren song of curiosity, but I implore
you. For the greater good, resist temptation. The executable you received
via email is most likely an email worm. It is equally likely that the worm
has some other nefarious purpose than mere propagation. If you want to know
what it does, examine it with a hexeditor, but UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES RUN IT.
I would have thought that with all of us being bright students, and having
earned degrees in computer science from fine institutions of higher learning
from all over the world, we would know better, but alas, I am apparently
mistaken. So in conclusion, STOP CLICKING THE DAMN EMAILS!
Thank you.
--
Jonathan Koren 95% of email .sig quotes are incorrect
jkoren(at)cs.siu.edu or completely fabricated.
http://www.cs.siu.edu/~jkoren/ -- Benjamin Franklin