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filtering active content

2001-07-24 21:30:03
Vernon Schryver asks:

... Is there a reasonable filter than can filter what Microsoft considers
active content? 

Yes, in the Content-disposition header, change the "filename=" 
parameter to something like "x-filename-kept-away-from-outlook=".  
For example:

--- BEFORE ---

Content-Disposition: attachment; 
 filename="Public Libraries.vbs.doc.lnk"

--- AFTER ---

Content-Disposition: attachment; 
 x-filename-kept-away-from-outlook="Public Libraries.vbs.doc.lnk"

You should still be able to see attachments and their declared types, 
but you will have to dig into the text of the message for the filename.

Don't some Microsoft MUA's ignore the MIME type and look for
what are called magic numbers in the UNIX world?

Sort of; they use the filename extension, not the MIME type.  DOS/360
lives in the heart of every copy of Microsoft Windows.  Welcome to 1970.

The correct solution is to find out who at Microsoft refuses to put 
security safeguards on the address book(s) and allows scripts to 
fully send messages instead of queueing for approval.  I find it 
amazing that they haven't implemented such easy fixes in the past 
couple of years, after things started getting really bad.  I theorize 
that the human race is in a darwinian symbiosis with the email worms, 
which, like wolves, cull the weak (less intelligent) from the herd, 
allowing additional resources for the rest. 

Cheers,
James



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