Securing Outlook

I have used Pocomail or Pegasus mail over the last 2-3 years as my e-mail programs. However, I have recently bought a new laptop with Office XP already installed and I rather like the look of Outlook.

I will have KAV4 as my AV program and therefore use its inbuilt MailChecker to protect against viruses. So I can safely trial Outlook for a period of time;

1. Are there any other ways to increase the security of Outlook as a main e-mail program, apart from installing the latest patches ?( You cannot suggest uninstalling it ).

2. What are the advantages/disadvantages of HTML and plain text mail?

3. I believe there are problems in opening attachments in Outlook. What are these and is there a remedy around this?

 

Hi Blackcat,

there are indeed something to use with Outlook or any other email client, MailWasher or EmC. They work as spam filters and virus filters. You do not have to download any email from your POP3 account you do not wish. I tried EmC first and now I have been using MailWasher some time, I love it. There are some other tools as well like Spampal; haven´t tried yet.

be safe ^Ari^

 

1 - Any sort of mail proxy between your client and server will be off benefit although not always possible for home use. Any decent virus checker now will check mail content / attachments and not let you run them

2 - Advantages of html, erm it looks nicer ? text is smaller, rfc standard and of course cannot be exploited as easy

3 - Several exploits allowing execution even from the preview pane. Again a virus checker or as the previous poster suggested, mailwasher which is a free product which works very well, http://www.mailwasher.net

 

ditto comments blackcat

My take:

1] "View in Text" Mode. If you want to see something pretty, look out your window.

2] If you really want to view in HTML, do NOT USE Preview Pane unless in "View in Text" mode so it does not "open" immediately and give you a chance to save any attachment to desktop to scan. Then change to HTML and open email. That's a long option, but certainly a lot shorter than cleaning out viruses after infection.

3] Get an email vetting client. MAILWASHER. I like strongly.

4] The most important part:

Use your brain, USE your email vetting program FIRST, DO NOT GET LAZY AND OPEN UP THE MAIN CLIENT BEFORE VETTING.

Save ANY attachments to desktop, then SCAN with AV, AT and Wormguard [if you have that] FIRST.

You will be safe then. [Well, 99.9% safer than just flying by the seat of your pants].

Cheers, TAS

 

SpamPal works GREAT!!!!

More info at: http://www.spampal.org.uk

 

In Outlook, Another nice way to kill html is by installing nohtml.dll
Go to Tools - other - Advanced options - com addins - add then browse to the place where you have put you nohtml.dll