Re: executable help files in Linux

On Fri, 31 Dec 2004 07:25:48 -0600 (CST), Duane Attaway [email protected] wrote:

...

There is also a .hlp file, which has the magic number and identifier for ELF files. It also appears to be a GTK executable file. I don't recall ever seeing a Linux help file that was actually a program. Is this some

uh oh... the seeds of the first linux virus has been invented...

I'm not sure how an executable help file would be any more of a vulnerability than any other executable. Any program could contain malicious code. So use the packages that have been vetted by your distro's maintainers, or install as non-root to avoid the worst pitfalls.