[clue-tech] Protected by Linux

[Roy J. Tellason]

On Sunday 20 July 2008 12:46, Collins Richey wrote:
> Browsing some newly arrived spam (I had just trashed tons of the
> stuff), I was intrigued by the title 'Osama backs gangs and mafias'.
> Hmm, worth a read. Is this urban legend, propaganda, or actual news?
> So I clicked on the link, which brings up a typical flash player
> window with a "click here to view video". Aha, the link points to a
> <garbage>.exe file!
>
> Fortunately I'm running a system that doesn't recognize .exe files.
> The average Windows user would be owned at this point.

Yup!  I've hit this situation a whole bunch of times already...

The fun ones are where the link contains a whole mess of space characters and 
that .exe part of the name ends up offscreen.

I've always had a bit of a problem with treating data as executable code at 
the same privilege level as the rest of the code anyhow.

-- 
Member of the toughest, meanest, deadliest, most unrelenting -- and
ablest -- form of life in this section of space,  a critter that can
be killed but can't be tamed.  --Robert A. Heinlein, "The Puppet Masters"
-
Information is more dangerous than cannon to a society ruled by lies. --James 
M Dakin