.pif extension ... can I open this on a mac?

Factual Questions
1

I just received an e-mail attachment that’s called:

kind of odd, esp. since the e-mail header was

So I wouldn’t normally expect to see a file with the word “hamster” in it … but I WOULD expect to get an e-mail with a subject header like that.

A quick search on .pif files indicates that they’re bad mojo. But, as I work on a Mac, most viruses/trojans/etc. aren’t much of an issue for me. Virex cleared the file. But what the heck is it? Can I extract the Word .DOC out of that .pif? Or is it all phony, and the .DOC extension is just part of the virus’s cover (so you think you should try to open it)?

I’m e-mailing the sender to see what’s up, but in the meantime, what the heck is a .pif and is there any way to open the file on a mac?

2

That sounds suspiciously like a virus you’ve got there (although it would be a Windows-specific one).

.pif files are program information files that (IIRC) tell Windows how to launch other applications, particularly old DOS ones, something like that.

3

The reason it says .doc.pif is that by defaul, the recent versions of Windows hide the file extensions for known file types, so the file would look like hamster.doc and somebody would open it thingking it was just a document, but find themselves executing a virus.

You should be pretty safe on a mac, but the best bet (if you want to open it) would be to open it specifically from a plain-text editor.

4

This is a viral email.

“.pif” files are bastard stepchildren from the days of Windows 3.1 (“PIF” stands for Program Information File) used to provide Windows 3.1 with extra information required to run old-fashioned DOS applications. Later versions of Windows, in the spirit of being quasicompatible with such ancient crap, will also “execute” .pif files, even though the .exe file format has since been modified to include all the information that used to have to go into the .pif and thus they are no longer necessary. The lengths we go to for the sake of a bunch of insane dried fruit.

5

You have been sent the BadTrans virus. It’s everywhere just now.

Don’t think it’ll infect a Mac though. Bin it. There’s nothing in the attachment of any interest to you.

6

Here’s what Symantec had to say about Badtrans:

W32.Badtrans.B@mm
(http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.badtrans.b@mm.html)

Most important:

Hope this helps.

your humble TubaDiva
Administrator

7

thanks all. To the trash it goes.

8

Rubbish. Please explain how all my ancient DOS programs rotting away on their old 5.25" floppy disks have managed to spontaneously upgrade themselves to this “new” .exe format.

9

Try reading what I wrote: the file format has been modified, not the files themselves.