Exchange Messaging Outlook
Volume 6, Number 2

• LoveLetter - 1 year later
• Turner Broadcasting to move from Outlook to AOL for mail

Regular features:

• Latest Outlook-related viruses
• New utilities
• Updated utilities
• Other new resources

LoveLetter - 1 year later

In May 2000, the worldwide outbreak of the LoveLetter virus taught some simple, but important lessons:

• Some users will run any attached file.
• Some files attached to e-mail messages are harmful.
• Too many messages can cause mail servers to crash.
• Microsoft Outlook's programmability can be exploited for ill as well as good.

Despite repeated media attention to mail-borne viruses, not everyone applied those lessons. Just last week, the Homepage virus, resembling LoveLetter in many ways, brought some mail servers to their knees as stupid or ill-informed users opened an unsolicited file attachment.

It seems like, a year after LoveLetter, we're not much better off. While many companies have shored up their protection against mail-borne viruses with the same zeal that they attached Y2K issues, others haven't. Standalone users are probably numbed by the headlines for every virus outbreak and pay less attention to the need to watch out for dangerous attachments.

With outbreaks like Homepage, it's easy to understand why Microsoft wanted to beef up attachment security in Outlook with the Email Security Update for Outlook 98 and 2000 and the carryover of those security features into Outlook 2002. So, if Microsoft has done what it can to make Outlook more secure, who gets the blame for these new outbreaks? The problem of viruses spread by Outlook is not going to simply evaporate, as the Y2K issue did once the new millennium arrived. Just look at the list below of Outlook-related viruses detected in only the past two weeks!

Here at Slipstick.com, we're doing everything we can to make sure that people have all the facts about Outlook-related viruses and how to protect against them. What are you doing to prevent the next LoveLetter or Homepage?

Turner Broadcasting to move from Outlook to AOL for mail

Usually, when we read about corporations switching e-mail systems during a merger, it's from Lotus Notes or Domino to Microsoft Exchange Server, or vice versa. The New York Times is reporting, however, that AOL Time Warner is switching all employees to the company's America Online e-mail system.

Some Time, Inc. employees are apparently still using Lotus cc:Mail, which Lotus will no longer support after October 2001. However, the Turner Broadcasting division, which includes CNN, migrated from cc:Mail to Microsoft Exchange Server and Microsoft Outlook several years ago. The Turner rollout has been highly publicized via white papers at Microsoft's web site and a Turner representative's participation in a deployment panel at the Microsoft Exchange Conference.

Tricia Primrose, a company spokeswoman for AOL Time Warner, says the company expects CNN journalists to benefit from having access to their AOL mail anytime, anywhere, and to communicate quickly with AOL Instant Messenger. Primrose adds that everyone at AOL Time Warner will keep their existing e-mail address, but that their messages will now feed into an AOL mailbox. Beyond e-mail, Primrose says that each AOL Time Warner division has its own collaboration tools for scheduling and other functions and that these are not affected by the transition to AOL Mail.

Latest Outlook-related viruses

I-WORM.HOMEPAGE
This non-destructive VBScript virus sends itself to all Outlook address list entries. See http://www.viruslist.com/eng/viruslist.asp?id=4193&key=00001000130000100073

JS.DISTURBED.A@M
This non-destructive Jscript virus sends itself to all Outlook address list entries. See http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/js.disturbed.a@m.html

JS.OLVORT.A@MM
This non-destructive Jscript virus sends itself to all Outlook address list entries. See http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/js.olvort.a@mm.html

TROJ_LASTWORD.A
This non-destructive VBScript virus sends itself to everyone in the Outlook address book. See http://www.antivirus.com/vinfo/virusencyclo/default5.asp?VName=TROJ_LASTWORD.A

VBS.DEDICATED.D@MM
This non-destructive VBScript virus sends itself to everyone in the Outlook address book. See http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/vbs.dedicated.d@mm.html.

VBS/EXTRAHELP.A-M
This non-destructive VBScript virus attaches a script file to every outgoing Outlook message. See http://www.canada-av.com/sensible/home.nsf/adaa5c5ed383cbbd85256894005ff0dc/045a2f17925b314485256a410052111a?OpenDocument

VBS.HSTUFF.A@M
This non-destructive VBScript virus sends itself to up to 50 Outlook address book entries, displays a political message and opens several web pages. See http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/vbs.hstuff.a@m.html

VBS.VBSWG2.C@MM
This non-destructive VBScript virus sends itself to everyone in the Outlook address book. See http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/vbs.vbswg2.c@mm.html

VBS_YABRAN.A
This non-destructive VBScript virus sends itself to all addresses in all Outlook address lists. See http://www.antivirus.com/vinfo/virusencyclo/default5.asp?VName=VBS_YABRAN.A

VBS_ZEAM.A
This non-destructive VBScript virus sends itself to all addresses in all Outlook address lists. See http://www.antivirus.com/vinfo/virusencyclo/default5.asp?VName=VBS_ZEAM.A

If you have multiple contact folders that you want to use for address resolution, see http://www.slipstick.com/contacts/oloab.htm.

New Utilities

CALENGO
http://www.calengo.com/
Download sports team schedules as vCalendar .vcs files that Outlook can open.

DIRXDISCOVER
http://www.ic.siemens.com/CDA/Site/pss/1,1294,208474-1-999,00.html
Client for Siemens DirX Meta Directory, implemented as a MAPI address book provider for LDAP or X.500.

E-SCHEDULING TOOLS
http://e-meetings.wcom.com/e-SchedulingTools/index.php3
Free tools to schedule operator-unattended audio conference calls via WorldCom from within Outlook.

HIGH IMPACT EMAIL
http://www.templatezone.com/msoffice/hiemail/hiemail.asp
Produce colorful HTML messages in Outlook with the 50 included templates. Add-on packs provide more templates for newsletters, picture frames, resumes, and more.

MAILRECALL
http://www.authentica.com/products/mailrecall.html
Encrypts messages and attachments, allowing only the access you specify. You can recall a message and track who read or printed it and when. Available as a free service or with an in-house server.

NEXCARD
http://www.nexal.com/
Not really new, but we just found it! Group address book using Access, Paradox, SQL Server, Oracle, or Novell Directory Services database. Data replication engine available. Not compatible with Windows 2000.

OFFICECLIP
http://www.officeclip.com/
Provides group calendar, contacts and other shared resources, exchanging data with Outlook via import/export, vCalendar and vCard. Available in local server and shared hosting configurations.

POP BEFORE SMTP PROXY
http://my.nichols.de/zenz/smtpproxy/english.htm
Small program to handle mail servers that require you to connect to your POP account before you can send mail with your SMTP account. Suitable for Outlook 97, 98 or 2000. Not needed with Outlook 2002.

SHAREPOINT PORTAL SERVER
http://www.microsoft.com/sharepoint/default.asp
Microsoft portal, document management, search and applications server with built-in digital dashboard.

TMFUSION
http://www.tmfusion.com/english/index.htm
Customer relation management, project management, and document management using Outlook, Exchange Server and SQL Server.

VCARDMAIL
http://www.vcardprocessor.com/index.htm
CGI script, written in Perl, to take information entered by web site visitors and mail it as a vCard that Outlook can open.

WEB ECONVERT
http://www.salesbyweb.com/econvert_product.htm
Convert information submitted via web page forms to Outlook contacts automatically.

Updated utilities

TIMEX DATA LINK WIZARD
http://www.timex.com/html/data_link_software.html
Version 4.1 provides a version for Outlook 2002, as well as previous versions. This version also provides more appointment selection options and other improvements.

Other new resources

EXCHANGE 2000 WSS WEB STORAGE SYSTEM IMPROVES EXCHANGE DATA ACCESSIBILITY
http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/01/05/wss/wss.asp
MSDN Magazine article

SQL SERVER DIGITAL DASHBOARD 3.0
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?releaseid=29414
New version of the digital dashboard for SQL Server.

TO ADD COLOR-CODING TO YOUR CALENDAR IN OUTLOOK 2002
http://www.slipstick.com/calendar/colorcal.htm#ol2002
How-to details, with tips to get more out of this new feature

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Copyright 1996-2006, Slipstick Systems and CDOLive LLC. All rights reserved.

Updated Apr 07 2008

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