The message
from "al" contains these words:

Seven years is just pure luck - assuming of course you'd actually know you'd
been compromised (you run a netstat recently to see what open ports you
have?) Again what you're talking about points to virii, not worms. Sure,
someone can send you a trojan and if you're silly enough to open it (which
it sounds like you're not) then you're "infected". However how would you
know if someone put one there by exploiting a remote vulnerability? You
wouldn't.

Well, I would because I have a program installed on the box I use for
internet which would alert me. Can't unforget what it's called.

As for opening a trojan in a text editor ... !?!? What are you saying, you
decompiled one? Smart trojans add code to existing binaries to hide
themselves. Others load themselves as executables that sound like official
processes. Not aware of too many ASCII based script trojans ....

No. I said 'examined'. SoI would recognise the structure.

In any case, it was years ago, before most ISPs were stripping binaries
from newsgroups. I found it there, downloaded it, and because I was
running Win 3.11 at the time I knew it was totally in my power, and
completely unable to bite me.

--
Frère Jaques
They knocked the Bell down and erected a charade of pops.