Outlook2000-Preview Pane

[Don79]

Hi,
Is having the preview pane option selected the same as actually opening the e-mail? I'm asking because I don't want to increase the chances of a virus being activated just by previewing the e-mail. For example, this new Klez virus works that way. Of course, previewing should not affect attachments.

 

[cbailey]

That is what I want to know, I had a workstation that got hammered by the KLEZ.H virus and he didn't ever open the attachement. Once it was highlighted, it did it's dirty work, eventhough I had my anti-virus software running with the latest DAT files.

 

[Don79]

Hi cbailey,

I believe that's how klez works. If outlook has the "preview pane" option set, then klez activates itself without an attachment being opened. I just shut off the preview feature on all of our computers here. Better safe than sorry.

 

[joegz]

Having the preview pane activated does not execute most type of attachments but it is possible to write up and e-mail using HTML or a script file which can be activated in the preview pane if you have not loaded the patch from Microsoft to fix this vunerability.

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/security/bulletin/MS01-020.asp

In reality it is a vunerability from IE and not Outlook. joegz
"Sometimes you just need to find out what it's not first to figure out what it is."

 

[cbailey]

Your information is common knowledge, I run IE and Express 6.0 128-bit. This virus seems to take advantage of the preview pane, which is not a security hole, it is a feature. So far Don79 has the best advice that I am following.

 

[joegz]

The virus takes advantage of a vulnerability in IE which is the engine that the preview pane uses and allows the virus to execute.

Follow whom evers advise you are comfortable with. None of my clients machine were infected because I had patched the machines before the virus got around. joegz
"Sometimes you just need to find out what it's not first to figure out what it is."

 

[Don79]

Along with updated microsoft patches, you have to make sure that you always have the latest anti-virus signatures. That is the first thing I do every morning.

 

[cbailey]

Sorry Joegz, I didn't know there was a patch available for IE 6. Even your link didn't list 6. I looked harder at Microsofts support page and found it.