Alleged flaw in Outlook Express crashes servers

A feature in the latest version of Microsoft Outlook Express could cause servers to crash, according to bug and virus specialist, BugNet. Outlook Express 4.7x can break large email attachments into smaller chunks so size limitations set by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are not exceeded. That could lead to massive files being downloaded in individual 16K messages. Servers could be overloaded as a result.

To prevent these so called "mail bombs", Microsoft said it will add a dialog box in the next version of Outlook Express which will warn users about setting the file fragment size too small. But the software giant has no plans to drop the 16K minimum fragment size.

Senior Input analyst, James Eibisch, sees the problem as "the users responsibility". He said: "Companies which need to send large files over the Internet should have a system in place to stop this happening." A spokesman for Second Sight, a manufacturer of anti-virus software, said: "Microsoft has a long tradition of creating problems for the industry to solve. This won't make Bill Gates any more popular."