** PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE IN SUCH A WAY THAT YOUR REPLY GOES
TO THE MAILING LIST. **
Greetings:
I apologize for what I see as the need to send this message, and for
duplicates that you may receive. I am *NOT* inviting discussion on this
topic. Far from it. But, with recent events and news reports, some
announcement seems to me to be in order. Fortunately, I am talking about
something which is NOT a problem on our list right now. Let's help it stay
that way.
There are some nasty new strains of malicious programs, such as the
MSBLASTER worm, which have been turned loose on an unsuspecting and
undeserving public. (There is no use wondering about the immature and
corrupted nature of a person who would do such a thing.) We are well past
the point where not opening attachments can protect us from infection
through e-mail. If you are running any form of Microsoft Windows, it is an
ABSOLUTE NECESSITY that you have an up-to-date antivirus program installed
on your computer and properly set up. There are any number of good ones.
Use one, and keep it current.
Second, malicious programs LIE. They lie about what they are doing. If they
come in e-mail, they lie (in their teeth) about who sent them. This is very
important to understand. If an infection *seems* to come from a RootsWeb
mailing list, it is a lie. If it seems to come from a person with whom you
have corresponded, it *may* be a lie.
Third, virus alerts, scam alerts, and SPAM alerts are ABSOLUTELY FORBIDDEN
on this mailing list, unless sent by the list admin -- who is myself. There
are **NO EXCEPTIONS**. Such alerts are often incorrect, and frequently
continue hoaxes that can be as damaging as a virus. ("I found this virus on
my computer. I may have infected you, so if you find this virus on your
computer please delete it." So you do -- and there goes a Windows Operating
System file you need.) The most important thing is that even if this
information is correct, this mailing list is NOT the place to post it.
For more information, see any of the antivirus programs' web sites. Another
good basic resource may be found at:
http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/
Look in the left column, and scroll down a bit until you see the link:
http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/announce.html#virus
Again, I apologize for what I see as the need for this message, and for
possible duplicates. I also remind you NOT TO REPLY TO THE LIST. My private
address is below. You can discuss almost anything with me through that
address, without recriminations.
Darrell
RootsWeb List Admin - 4 Vermont location lists
Darrell A. Martin - 13 surnames lists
darrellm(a)sprynet.com - 1 genealogy software list