RE: GMail blocking "executable" attachments

["Richard M. Smith" <rms () computerbytesman com>]

Sounds like a very good idea to me.  All email providers should be doing
this kind of blocking.  If they did, we would have many less email worms
flying around the Internet.

Virus scanners are fine, but not all PC users run them.

As an interesting aside, the original MIME RFC said allowing executable file
attachments was a bad idea.

Richard 

-----Original Message-----
From: Scovetta, Michael V [mailto:Michael.Scovetta () ca com] 
Sent: Tuesday, April 19, 2005 2:19 PM
To: webappsec () securityfocus com
Subject: GMail blocking "executable" attachments

All-

I've noticed that G-Mail blocks attachments that contain "executable"
files. (A zip file containing an .MDB, and even a zip file containing a
zip file containing an .MDB). I assume they'd block all the usual
suspects, but isn't that sort of the point of sending e-mails with
attachments? Renaming the enclosed .MDB to .TXT allows it to be send
through, so it's not really a major problem. Do you think Google should
be deep-scanning the files for content, or just the extension, and would
running a virus detector against it be just as good?

No real issue here, I just thought it was interesting-not sure if other
major email providers do the same thing.

Regards,

Michael Scovetta
Computer Associates
Senior Application Developer