Some tips and information about e-mail

I get a lot of e-mail from people who are using Outlook or Outlook Express
and have the program set, either intentionally or by default, to send HTML e-mail.
HTML e-mail sent by Outlook can only be read as HTML if the recipient
is also using Outlook or Outlook Express.
If the recipient is using some other e-mail program, (Netscape, Eudora etc.)
then the message appears as plain text in a browser window.
The problems with this is are :
1. The text message is very wide and requires the reader to scroll back
and forth many times, making reading it a bit of a chore.
2. Any hyperlinks included in the message are no longer clickable and need
to be copied and pasted into the browser address window.
3. A serious problem with HTML e-mail is that it increases the possibility of getting
a worm or virus, as these can be easily included in the HTML message in the
form of a Java applet or javascript.
Imagine if everyone used Outlook Express and sent HTML e-mail - how many
viruses and worms would be circulating around the internet! The mind boggles!
Most experienced netizens send plain text messages because they realise the
inherent dangers of HTML e-mail.
So, until HTML e-mail is safe and there is a standard format across e-mail
programs, it is best to send plain text messages.

As a researcher from McAfee said recently:
"The simplest way to prevent viruses is a text-only e-mail system.
It would be helpful if one was provided with every computer, so people could
devolve from the glitzy versions if they so chose."

Hot Tip: To impress the intelligent with your e-mail savvy, set your e-mail client to
send only plain text. HTML fantasies are for web sites and newbies.

"Admins who allow email clients to receive unadulterated HTML documents are
opening a hole in network security that can be very difficult to defend, especially
once an attacker is inside the network perimeter.
HTML makes it easy to duplicate the appearance of groups from whom the end user
regularly receives HTML messages, like banks, credit card companies and online
auction houses, and hiding links to phishing or malware sites beneath apparently
legitimate URLs is elementary.
When you add the potential havoc caused by attachments, ActiveX, Java, VBscript,
and javascript... well, you get the picture. You open the door to all manner of rootkit,
backdoor, keylogger, etc." (Source)

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