Allow multiple filename extensions?

[Howard Robinson]

On 11 Jul 03, at 9:09, mikea wrote:
Hello
I block all > single extensions and exe etc.
If users can't use sensible names that's their problem. A little
education can help and those that don't/won't understand are the
very ones that may run something nasty.
It would be better is if the hide know extensions in windows was
removed so that the true filename was always shown.

> On Fri, Jul 11, 2003 at 09:58:13AM -0400, Tom Combs wrote:
> > Hello,
> >
> >   I'm not clear on the need for denying multiple filename extensions. It
> >   seems if an attachment contained a virus, it would be checked by the
> >   virus scanner and either caught or cleared regardless of the
> >   extension.  Does having multiply filename extensions somehow
> >   circumvent this process?
> >
> >   I'm considering dropping this ruleset:
> >
> > deny    \.[a-z][a-z0-9]{2,3}\s*\.[a-z0-9]{3}$   Found possible filename
> > hiding
> >                         Attempt to hide real filename extension
> >
> >
> >   Is this a mistake?
>
> I had to drop it at the day job, where we have lots of people sending in
> files with names like IH35.Moore.C03-192045.wpd. Each piece of that
> filename has meaning, and it's much less inconvenient to accept the mild
> risk of passing multocomponent filenames than it is to force the users to
> adhere to 8.3 names -- if I could even try to do so. I know from 25 years
> here that any attempt to force that would be doomed to spectacular
> failure.
>
> But each installation is different, and others may differ with either or
> both of us.
>
> --
> Mike Andrews
> mikea at mikea.ath.cx
> Tired old sysadmin since 1964




Regards

Howard Robinson
(Senior Technical Development Officer)
Harper Adams University College
Edgmond
Newport
Shropshire
TF10 8NB UK

E-mail: hrobinson at harper-adams.ac.uk
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