Troubleshooting Blocked Access to Email Attachments

We’ve all heard it about a hundred times already: “Don’t open attachments from unknown senders.” And yet there will always be someone who either has forgotten the last time their system locked up and stopped functioning or they believed their system was protected from viruses. But although administrators are constantly on guard they cannot prevent attachments from being opened.

Attachments which contain viruses are most commonly sent out denoted as executables (“dot exe” extension) and sometimes scripts. The reason is because unsuspecting users will expectedly double click on the attachments to perform some function which they thought would help them. Sometimes hackers will send links to malicious attachments knowing that Outlook does not screen out web site URLs by default.

There are many other types of files with unique filename extensions that can contain viruses. By default, Outlook blocks many types of files based on their extensions because Outlook cannot determine whether files with certain filename extensions contain viruses or not. The benefit is that attachments which do contain viruses are screened out before they are opened by anyone in your end user community. Unfortunately it also means that requested or expected files are also screened out.

Email messages received which contain attachments can produce messages similar to the following:

Outlook blocked access to the following potentially unsafe attachments:</pre>

<p>Even though the email message has resulted in a warning about an unsafe attachment it does not mean that the attachment has been deleted from the email. Although your end users cannot save, delete, open or print their attachments there are still ways to safely open a blocked attachment.

Another way for attachments to be delivered is to request that they be sent as zipped up or compressed files. There are several compression software utilities on the market that will take as input a file of bits and bytes and then “compress” the bits and bytes together. One popular compression program is “WinZip”. The software utilities or programs use basic compression algorithms that have been around for some time and are considered to be reliable at not losing data.

There are two steps to this process. The first step is the compression of the file. The second step is the uncompressing of the compressed file. The compression process creates a compressed archive file that has a file name extension that is different from the original file attachment. The newly created compressed file has a file name extension that Outlook does not identify as suspicious. Outlook will not block these compressed files. Administrators can help their end users with the uncompressing of the compressed file as the corresponding uncompressing algorithms will need to be applied.

Administrators can also advise their end users to request from the originator, of the blocked attachment file, to rename the attachment using a different file name extension. The file name extension should be one which Outlook does not perceive as a threat such as a Word document. Word document use the “dot doc” filename extension which Outlook does not automatically screen out as a pernicious file.

Once the file has been safely renamed and resent to the end user then the file can be safely saved on the local system. After the file has been saved then an end user can rename it to its original filename extension. This will allow the file to be opened using the application that it was originally intended for.

End users can safely save and rename their newly renamed files using the following steps:

• Select the file attachment in the email message.
• Right click on the attachment and then click Copy.
• Choose or create a directory to save the attachment.
• Right click Paste.
• Right click on the pasted file to bring up the pull-down menu.
• Select and click Rename.

1. Type in the name of the file using the original file name extension.

Your end user will now be able to double click on the newly renamed file to open it using the appropriate application.

Tips for Safe Computing ? Microsoft Small Business Centre

Tips for Safe Computing ? Microsoft Small Business Centre

Ensure you have the latest updates. Install updates and security patches on all servers, desktop and laptop PCs.

To get the latest updates for your Windows operating system, software and hardware, go to Microsoft Update (U.S.). It scans your computer to determine which updates you need and then you can download any or all of them.

To improve the security and stability of your Microsoft Office software, go to Office Update (U.S.) and follow the Check for Updates link.

If you use Windows XP Professional, there is an even easier way to get updates. Simply activate the Automatic Updates feature, which allows your PC to automatically notify you of important updates once they are made available.

Reduce the risk of viruses. There are numerous things you can do to protect your computer and your network against viruses. Using anti-virus software and keeping it current is the first step, but there are other things you can do:

Use the default security settings in Office 2003, which is the most secure version of Office released to date

Visit the Office Update (U.S.) site for the latest updates and patches

Never open suspicious e-mail messages or file attachments; take advantage of the state-of-the-art junk mail filter in Outlook 2003 to send suspicious messages directly to your Junk E-mail Folder

Use Windows Security Centre to manage your settings. Get a clear picture of the security settings on your PC using the single, unified view provided in the Windows Security Centre. Adjust them as necessary to the level of protection you are comfortable with. The settings that guard your PC are automatically applied to files and content delivered via the internet, helping safeguard confidential business data.

Encrypt sensitive information on your laptop. If you travel on business and use a laptop that runs Windows 2000 Professional or Windows XP Professional, guard against data theft. Use the Encrypted File System (EFS) to encrypt sensitive files and folders. If the laptop is stolen, your files and folders are protected because only those with a special decryption key can access the encrypted files.

Download internet files from trusted sources only. If you’re unsure if the files you want to download are safe, consider downloading them to a disk separate from your hard drive, such as a CD or floppy. Then you can scan the files with your virus scanner.

Use password encryption to protect Office files. Improved encryption technology has strengthened password security in Word 2003 and Excel 2003 and extends password encryption to PowerPoint 2003. Look under the Tools menu in each of these three programs to activate password protection. This is an effective way to restrict access to confidential business information.

Clean your hard drive before you discard a PC. If you’re getting a new PC or notebook and your old one is being discarded, be sure to remove any sensitive business or personal information before you let it go. This doesn’t mean simply deleting files and emptying your Recycle Bin. Your options include reformatting the hard drive or acquiring software that wipes it clean.

Use a firewall. If your company uses always-on broadband to connect to the internet, install a firewall as a basic line of defence against outside intruders. There are two basic types: 1) a software firewall such as the Microsoft Internet Connection Firewall that’s included in Windows XP Professional protects the machine it runs on, and 2) a hardware firewall that blocks all traffic between the internet and your entire network except for traffic from senders who are specifically trusted.

Never surf the web from a server. As the command centre for your entire network, a server typically stores critical business information. If your server is compromised, it puts all of that data as well as your entire network at risk.

Be smart about passwords. Always use strong passwords that are at least eight characters long and a combination of lower and upper case letters, numbers and symbols. Don’t use the same password repeatedly and make it a point to change your passwords frequently. If you have trouble remembering passwords, consider using a pass-phrase, which you can do in Windows 2000 and Windows XP. A pass-phrase might be something like “I had pizza for lunch Tuesday.”

For more tips on safe computing visit Microsoft SMB guide for pc workplace users .

GT Kimberly is an ardent follower of IT Software News. He is a regular reader of news happenings of Big Companies like , etc..

Praetorian Guard Demonstration Part 7 – Network Administration Console

This Praetorian Guard demonstration discusses the features of the Network Administration functions of the product, specifically Backup Manager, SQL Server Manager, and Script Manager.