This from the friend of a friend, who is way more knowledgeable about
computer viruses than I am.

E-mail, in and of itself, is a TRANSPORT mechanism.  The messages are
generally plain text, but can also include attached executable files,
programs if you will.  In the interests of 'user friendliness' some
e-mail programs will AUTOMATICALLY EXECUTE those attached programs,
perhaps to your detriment.


The way to stop this is two fold.


a) DISABLE automatic execution of attachments.  This means not only
don't run .EXE or .COM, but don't launch an associated application.
If someone sends you a file in Microsoft Word format, don't
automatically launch Word to read the file.  This will prevent Word
based macro virus attacks.


b) Don't execute or load the associated application for files from
people you don't know.  You won't know what it in them, but while you
might talk to strangers you wouldn't like them exposed to you.


While AOL4FREE may be a hoax virus (along with PENPAL and GOODTIMES)
the awareness that e-mail may be the carrier of a virus and that your
e-mail system may activate it is something that users need to be
aware, and reminded of from time to time.

Kathleen B. Bruce, BSN, IBCLC co-owner Lactnet,Corgi-L,TLC, Indep. Consultant
http://together.net/~kbruce/kbbhome.html
LACTNET Archives http://library.ummed.edu/lsv/archives/lactnet.html