Does using reading pane in outlook 2003 leave me open to viruses?

[Guest]

I noticed in Outlook 2003 that when someone requests a read receipt for the
message they are sending me and I am viewing it in a reading pane prior to
opening the e-mail, I am asked if I want to allow for the read receipt to be
sent as if I have opened the e-mail. Does this mean that if I get an e-mail
witha virus, don't open it but view it in a reading pane, that I am exposing
myselfto the virus anyway? Thanks.

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

No, because Outlook blocks harmful attachments by default, never launches attachments automatically, and by default doesn't run code in HTML-format messages.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003

and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

 

[Guest]

But ... I have read somewhere (probably cnet.com) that some spammers insert
some code on their mails to let them know if you actually opened the message.
If so, sometimes it counts like a hit and they get money for that. Some other
times, the simple fact of opening the message tells them that you were
interested on reading it, so they flag you like a "potential customer" and
your e-mail address becomes more valuable (it is reselled to another spammers
for a higher price) and from this point, it's almost impossible to get rid of
them. You'll be receiving more and more spam every day. According with that
article, the preview pane actually "opens" the message. Personally, I have
disabled the preview pane, as a preventive measure, in almost every mail
folder I have.

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

You are probably referring to so-called "web bugs," usually implemented as <img> tags with images the user can't see. Such tags simply attempt to retrieve the image from a particular URL, which the host server could be able to interpret. Such tags can't infect your system with a virus. THey're a privacy issue, not a security issue.

In any case, since Outlook 2003 by default blocks attempts to retrieve external content, web bugs are ineffective in an Outlook 2003 environment. Your paranoia about the reading pane in Outlook 2003 is a bit overblown.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003

and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers