Timeline for Why do email server/clients block executable attachments?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
21 events
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| Jan 17, 2020 at 8:25 | comment | added | vsz | If the purpose is to protect gullible users who might disregard warning dialogs, why don't they allow a setting in the client application which can be set to allow executables? The users can then allow it on their own responsibility, and non-technical users (who could be fooled by a something.pdf.exe) won't meddle in the settings (or won't even know they exist) in the first place. | |
| Jan 16, 2020 at 17:06 | comment | added | jpa | @schroeder I've seen increasingly many systems refuse all attachments except a small set of allowed extensions (usually .jpg, .png, .pdf, .docx&co, maybe .zip). I guess the logic is that many applications are not safe to use with untrusted files and obscure file extensions could get opened with whatever obscure application people have installed. | |
| Jan 16, 2020 at 15:00 | comment | added | Dakkaron |
Also, Windows is quite helpful with this kind of attack by hiding the last file extension. So for a file with the name totallylegitfile_really.pdf.exe it would display totallylegitfile_really.pdf. This makes the attack much easier. I really wonder what they were thinking when setting this as a default setting -.-
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| Jan 16, 2020 at 13:35 | comment | added | MonkeyZeus | @MortimerCat Well, that's terrifying. Also, "Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool" and "If you make something idiot-proof, someone will just make a better idiot." | |
| Jan 16, 2020 at 12:21 | comment | added | MortimerCat | I have had users tell me they clicked on the link to stop that annoying warning message popping up. | |
| Jan 15, 2020 at 17:48 | comment | added | Ismael Miguel | @Ave Well, it does give a warning but people may allow it to run. Or they themselves will double-click on the drive icon, which will do the autorun. | |
| Jan 15, 2020 at 17:37 | comment | added | ave | @IsmaelMiguel autorun is not "auto" at all on most modern systems. | |
| Jan 15, 2020 at 14:29 | comment | added | schroeder♦ | @At0mic that assumes people understand the extension and understand the risks. The data shows that's not the case. Extensions help those who already know. | |
| Jan 15, 2020 at 14:26 | comment | added | At0micMutex | Wouldn't it just be much more effective for Windows to just show the user a file's extension? I would've thought after all these years of Windows viruses, they'd have figured out to at least inform the user they're downloading an executable (from a browser or email client). | |
| Jan 15, 2020 at 10:42 | comment | added | schroeder♦ | @user253751 HR sending out lots of XML, are they? And the answers are provided in your links ... | |
| Jan 15, 2020 at 10:11 | comment | added | Criticizing Israel not allowed | @schroeder Why would they block XML files? or images? | |
| Jan 15, 2020 at 6:19 | vote | accept | CommunityBot | ||
| Jan 15, 2020 at 3:43 | comment | added | Nelson | @user253751 It is possible that the HR systems are compromised and the files being attached are infected. This is clearly an IT issue and the solution is not to simply bypass the filters in place. | |
| Jan 15, 2020 at 0:54 | comment | added | Bergi | @schroeder File size restrictions maybe? They're a good reason to use file hosting services instead of email attachments. | |
| Jan 15, 2020 at 0:31 | comment | added | Ángel | HR should (mostly) be dealing with emailing people on its own company. Which are controlled by the company IT team. So, they should reach an agreement on acceptable content to send. Perhaps they are inadvertently sending documents with embedded macros. | |
| Jan 15, 2020 at 0:22 | comment | added | Ismael Miguel |
They have started sending .ISO files, which have an autoplay exe. Some people open it, which mounts the virtual drive and runs the virus. So, the email contains a totallylegitfile_really.pdf.iso attachment. I've seen this a few times.
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| Jan 14, 2020 at 22:03 | comment | added | schroeder♦ | @user253751 then you are talking about rules beyond the scope of the question and beyond my experience with any organisation. | |
| Jan 14, 2020 at 14:37 | comment | added | Criticizing Israel not allowed | They're not sending executables, but the files they do send keep getting rejected by systems that block more file types than just executables. | |
| Jan 14, 2020 at 14:06 | comment | added | schroeder♦ | @user253751 Why is HR sending executables? And why are the files not available internally to attach/link? | |
| Jan 14, 2020 at 14:01 | comment | added | Criticizing Israel not allowed | "That's going to get more than a few people curious about why HR is using some 3rd party file hosting service." - not when they all do that because various peoples' email systems keep blocking their attachments. | |
| Jan 14, 2020 at 9:48 | history | answered | schroeder♦ | CC BY-SA 4.0 |