[Mimedefang] Re: Unsafe file types

[Alan Madill]

> thanks! I've hit a nerve.

Aye, you have.

> Perhaps. But if you run an anti-virus scanner on your inbound mail (I run
> clamav)

Maintaining a virus scanning solution on 50 desktops that will not 
catch the most recent virus, one that slows down every file access, 
and causes problems with other software, is a nightmare.  Even if it 
is running on your gateway it doesn't guarantee that the latest virus 
variant won't slip by.  The average desktop runs an OS layer that 
allows really stupid things to happen and is it made worse by 
applications that do even stupider things (LookOut comes to mind.)

> You must be young :) I don't think this is a MS issue at all. We would be
> dealing with the same issues regardless of which OS we were all using.

I'm 1/2 of a century old and I DO think it is a MS issue.  All of their 
software grew up in an environment where the local user was the 
worst enemy ("are you sure you want to format drive C:" well, ok).  If 
you put a fresh install of WinXP SP1 on a system, plug it into the 
Internet, and leave it for 15 minutes you will have an exploited 
machine.

> Yeah, there sure are. But also remember who the enemy is here.

The enemy is a antique protocol for transfering mail that doesn't 
require any verification of the sender or the content.  If there was, 
the spam and virus problems would (mostly) go away.  As would a 
several billion dollar anti-virus industry.  (And our list :-)

> Anyway, it looks like I'm alone here ;)

Nahh, someone has to be the devils advocate.

--- 
Alan Madill - Aspen House Systems
250 567-4200