You can't be possibly infected by a non-executable attachment. If you know
what you're doing you will open WHATEVER and even ATTACHMENTS, if you're
like me. I always know whether it's a hoax or real email, it comes with
experience and education (Engineer here).
if you get a message loaded with test.jpg.exe look you see an executable
filetype on far right?, so don't open unless you EXPECTED it from someone,
but if you get test.jpg and you're running modern Windows aware of jpeg
exploits, why not open?
Whats the wors tthing that will happen? Fake image will not display
properly, thats it, it caanot run an executable code.
BUT STOP, some people will be infuriated with this liberal advice, so why
dont you do this:
If you see suspicious email in Email client e.g. Outlook, OutlookExpress,
WinMail, WinLiveMail, whatever - get OUT, then login to the same email thryu
Web interface.
Unlike with clients like OutlookExpress/WinMail, with Web mail messages are
NOT downloaded to your local computer, and stay on remote server until you
explicitly save them.
Downloading however occurs when you run a client, so goto Web mail and open
that strange message, it's safer.
Still if you open attachment don't RUN it, check if it's executable.
Just save it to a removable medua, bring to a test computer losing which
would not be catastrophic, we have a special "lab animal" computer where
dangerous things are tested.
So save thaT ATTACHMENT, AND NOW SCAN WITH aNTIVIRUS (first update antivirus
signatures).
I coudl write on and on for ever, it;s pretty obvious...
