Security Patch Escape Hatch – Does It Really Work? (2000 SR2)

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The following appeared recently in Lockergnome:

“Outlook 2000 / 98 Insecurity Post Patch”
“This patch is intended for users with MS Outlook 98 / 2000 and Service Pack 2, which includes a ‘security fix’ (called a security feature or enhancement by Microsoft) blocking all incoming attachments with the extensions like EXE and LNK. The problem: you can’t undo the security fix, and you won’t be able to open, save or forward (for example) a URL attachment after installing the service pack! Therefore, I wrote the Outlook Insecurity Patch. This patch will give you control about which file extensions will be blocked, or not. The patch will update the outllib.dll in your office folder and disable the security on specific extensions by your choice.”

Personally, I have avoided the “luxury” of ANY Office SP2 install due to this issue. Being likely, however, to continue with an non-XP environment for some time, the availability of (SP3?) bug fixes in other Office apps makes this policy a possible rethink.

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why would anyone trust someone who uses an alias copied from a movie to provide a hack to a dll? Any problems and MS will not provide support for it, because it was hacked. It’s soooooo easy to bypass the attachment block with valid programs provided by people that use real names, that there is no need for that utility.

To find out how to get blocked files off
http://www.slipstick.com/outlook/esecup/getexe.htm

For more information on the security features
http://www.slipstick.com/outlook/esecup.htm

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Thanks MaryJ.
I knew I’d seen something else some time back, but couldn’t seem to find it among the threads.

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MJ

Is there a program/add-in that fixes the attachments SP 2 for Outlook, at the Slipstick site I couldn’t find anything. Maybe I just can’t see for the looking

Thanks

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yes and no. at the getexe.htm page, there are several addins intended for other purposes that effectively allow access to the attachments, but there is not an add in specifically to provide access, such as the one for outlook 2002 has. Thats because only outlook 2002 has the registry key that allows access.

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Melissa

The section you need to look at on MaryJ’s first link is “Tools”

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Not sure about Oulook 98 and 2000 … but in Outlook 2002 (XP) you can alter the files that Microsoft has deemed “unsafe” via the Registery. Follow the link below for information on how this can be done.

Cannot Access Attachments – Outlook 2002

HTH
RDH

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I have SP2 installed both at work (required) and at home (by choice). I have managed to get some control back, however, by applying a “fix” that Lockergnome reported late November. Instead of installing yet another patch, this fix involves editing the OUTLLIB.DLL file. In brief, grab yourself a hex editor, open the dll file, and search for ‘mdb’ or some other restricted file-type extension. You will eventually find a bunch of them clustered together. For any file type that you want to restore access to, simply change (NOT delete) the extension to something else — but be sure that it is not a valid extension for some other file type that you would want to receive as an attachment. With one little change I can now send and receive ‘url’ attachments, which fixes the little “Send Link” problem between IE and Outlook (though Outlook will now block any ‘xxx’-type files).

If you don’t have a hex editor, there are a number of shareware programs that can be downloaded. I used Cygnus from SoftCircuits — the free 30 day trial period is more than adequate, and unlike some of the other shareware editors I tried, this demo version is capable of handling and saving the 5+ meg file.

Standard issue warning: Be sure to make a backup copy of OUTLLIB.DLL before you start tinkering.

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there are something like 9 ways of getting the files off *without* hacking the dll and all are much safer. At least 4 methods use existing addins that have been around for years. (chilton preview, zone alarm, WYB, exlife)

See http://www.slipstick.com/outlook/esecup/getexe.htm

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