On Thu, 31 Jan 2008 07:39:01 -0800, John S <jsilvati@gmail.com> wrote:

> i sometimes get an attachment titled "noname" without an extension. how do i
> open them? i use gmail and have no problems with any other attachment. Thanks


My view is that opening attachments is one of the most dangerous
things you can do. You often see advice not to open attachments from
people you don't know. I think that that's one of the most dangerous
pieces of advice you see around, because it implies that it's safe to
do the opposite--open attachments from friends and relatives. But many
viruses spread by sending themselves to everyone in the infected
party's address book, so attachments received from friends are perhaps
the *most* risky to open.

Even if the attachment legitimately comes from a friend, it can
contain a virus. I'm not suggesting that a friend is likely to send
you a virus on purpose, but if the friend is infected without
realizing it, any attachment he sends you is likely to also be
infected.

I never open executable attachments at all, except from a *very* few
trusted sources, and then only when I'm expecting them.

All of the above goes double for an attachment received without a name
or extension.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
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