The answer to this is a resounding  YES!  The current virus making the rounds called the
Kak.worm is indeed embedded in a rich-text e-mail and you are infected just by reading the
e-mail in the preview pane.  You do not have to click on an .exe file that is attached,
there was no attachment to the one that infected me.   A stationery list I am on was
infected with this virus a couple of weeks ago and I've become an expert on removing it
and all it's pieces.  We have found that setting the ActiveX security settings in IE for
"Initialize and script Active X controls not marked as safe" to Disable, causes the Active
X to respond and keeps the virus off of your computer.  Both Norton and McAfee were
missing this worm a couple of weeks ago and it puts pieces of itself all over your
computer.  If anyone wants the detailed instructions on how to remove it please write to
me.

Linda Aldridge
[log in to unmask]



At 3/21/00 04:37 AM +0200, Uzi Paz wrote:


>Most of the e-mail messages do not contain executable attachments,
>and thus if you set your e-mail program not to open such attachments
>automatically (most of the e-mail programs can be set that way), then
>you only have to scan those who have attachments, (and this is a
>minority of the messages).

A follow-up question about Email and viruses for my information.  What are
the possibilities of code embedded in an html encoded email executing when
displayed in a preview pane of an Email reader?  Not being a web author, I
am not familiar with what code could be embedded in an html email that
would be executed.  Can ActiveX code be imbedded in an HTML page?

I just wanna know more.

Doug

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