Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2000 07:20:52 -0400
Subject: One More Time


I sent this message last night but it doesn't seem to gave gone through,
probably because the list software read it as an administrative message.
Bruce has already posted the URL listed below, and I'm also including
some more information and a question.

Recently an attachment was posted to the list containing the file
happy99.exe. If the file is executed (i.e., if you download and run it)
it activates a mail worm which will send itself to other uses. As far as
I can tell, it does no other damage to your machine. For more
information, including how to get rid of it, see:
http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/happy99.worm.html

The list is now unmoderated. The advantage of that is that messages are
posted to the list in near real time. The disadvantage is that viruses
or worms such as this could be posted to the list. Most of you probably
know that mail viruses are almost never a problem if you don't open an
attachment (and that you should never open an attachment if you don't
know what it is), but it's still worrying to get worms in our inboxes.

This raises a question: should the list continue unmoderated? My senseis
that it should -- I think that the speed at which messages are posted
helps to facilitate conversation, but I'd like to hear what people have
to say. Our new software is configured to reject posts from people who
haven't joined the list, so spam won't be an issue.

By the way, all posts should now go to the address above.

Bill Freind