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From: bytebug@dhw68k.cts.com (Roger L. Long)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: VIRUS OUTBREAK in MAC BINARIES!
Summary: Highly unlikely...
Message-ID: <26250@dhw68k.cts.com>
Date: 6 Sep 89 10:28:09 GMT
References: <107@jhereg.Minnetech.MN.ORG>
Reply-To: bytebug@dhw68k.cts.com (Roger L. Long)
Organization: Wolfskill & Dowling residence; Anaheim, CA (USA)
Lines: 31

In article <107@jhereg.Minnetech.MN.ORG> Andrew Esh writes:
>							      "Disinfectant"
>showed me that there was a medium sized infection on my hard disk, starting
>with the Finder.  It occurred on the same day I downloaded from mac.binaries,
>and I don't think I ran any other software.

While not impossible, I find it highly unlikely that anything posted to
comp.binaries.mac recently was infected.  Everything posted is staged
through a single machine, and I check that machine for viruses daily,
using Disinfectant.  In addition, while I don't always look specifically
for viruses in the process of preparing postings, I'll often run Virus
Detective before archiving postings.

But I do this for my protection, not yours.  I wouldn't want anyone to 
get the idea that I in any way guarantee that postings from c.b.m. are
virus-free.  While I won't post anything that I find infected, and I'll
post a note to comp.sys.mac if I find that I've posted anything that's
infected, as well as issue a cancel message for the offending article(s),
to rely on anyone but yourself to keep your machine free of infection is 
a gamble that I wouldn't encourage anyone to take.  There are too many
tools available for you not to use at least one.

I strongly object to Andrew's posting saying "something" he downloaded
from comp.binaries.mac was infected.  There's enough misdirected fear
and panic associated with computer viruses - we don't need any more.  So
act responsibly and post concrete facts instead of vague rumors.  As far
as I know, nothing that's ever been posted to comp.binaries.mac has been
infected.
-- 
	Roger L. Long
	bytebug@dhw68k.cts.com