viruses from preview/opening mail

[aimzzz]

I know that opening email attachments can launch malware. In the following
questions, please assume the user is viewing the email without opening any
attachments:
Is it possible to launch merely by previewing but not opening a message?

Can opening an email without opening attachments allow malware to run?

And, BTW, is previewing equivalent to opening a message without opening it
in a separate window-- that is, are previewing & opening the same aside from
launching the separate window?

 

[Spirit]

Yes HTML and Preview Pane are possible compatriots to getting hit.

http://www.malwarehelp.org/securing-your-e-mail-client-outlookexpress1.html
This is about OE however applies to most email programs.

http://surfthenetsafely.com/reademailsafely.htm

 

[Hal Hostetler [MVP P/I]]

Wrong. The author of that article is incorrect, the Preview Pane is NOT a
compatriot.

Hal
--
Hal Hostetler, CPBE -- (e-mail address removed)
Senior Engineer/MIS -- MS MVP-Print/Imaging -- WA7BGX
http://www.kvoa.com -- "When News breaks, we fix it!"
KVOA Television, Tucson, AZ. NBC Channel 4
Live at Hot Licks - www.badnewsbluesband.com

Yes HTML and Preview Pane are possible compatriots to getting hit.

http://www.malwarehelp.org/securing-your-e-mail-client-outlookexpress1.html
This is about OE however applies to most email programs.

http://surfthenetsafely.com/reademailsafely.htm

 

[Hal Hostetler [MVP P/I]]

The answers to the questions are

1. No, malware won't launch from the Preview Pane.
2. No, opening a message without opening the attachment will not run any
malware in that attachment.
3. No, Previewing and opening are not the same thing.

Hal
--
Hal Hostetler, CPBE -- (e-mail address removed)
Senior Engineer/MIS -- MS MVP-Print/Imaging -- WA7BGX
http://www.kvoa.com -- "When News breaks, we fix it!"
KVOA Television, Tucson, AZ. NBC Channel 4
Live at Hot Licks - www.badnewsbluesband.com

 

[aimzzz]

Wow-- Thanks... In the past few years, I had heard/read that previewing or
opening email can activate malware (as stated in Spirit's links re OE), but
was hoping that maybe the problem had been corrrected by now. Was the past
info incorrect, or has the email software been improved?

Also, how is previewing a message different from opening it (other than
launching it into a new window)?

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

I wouldn't bother with distinguishing between opening an email and
previewing it. If there is a safety difference, it is very minor.
Anyway, that is not how most malware is launched. Malware
typically comes from running a downloaded file from a website,
or from opening an executable email attachment.