Hiding Extensions of known files: Not Hiding

[Visum]

Just a curiousity: XP sp2 all updates. Within Windows Explorer/Folder
Options/Hide extentions of known file types: Recently, I noticed this was
unchecked. So, I checked it, rebooted, and the option was again unchecked.

Is this a function of Windows Update to prevent trojans, etc.? Or, is there
another app stealing the option?

Thanks

 

[David H. Lipman]

From: "Visum" <[email protected]>

| Just a curiousity: XP sp2 all updates. Within Windows Explorer/Folder
| Options/Hide extentions of known file types: Recently, I noticed this was
| unchecked. So, I checked it, rebooted, and the option was again unchecked.
|
| Is this a function of Windows Update to prevent trojans, etc.? Or, is there
| another app stealing the option?
|
| Thanks
|

This is a good thing !

Lets say you got the file named; Telekom-Rechnung.pdf.exe

If you had enabled hide file extensions of known file types, your view would have been;
Telekom-Rechnung.pdf
Hey, it even has a Adove PDF icon.

However if you launced it, instead of viewing an Adobe PDF document you would have instead
been infected by the Downloader-AAP Trojan (Aka; Trojan-Downloader.Win32.Agent.yn,
Troj/Dloader-YF).

So you do NOT want to hide file extensions of known file types.

 

[petteer]

The same here... One comp hidding known extensions without any problems
after restart, the second one doesn't. Both have SP2 installed.