Microsoft Word, for example, will actually examine a file it's asked to open and, despite the name ending in .DOC, if the file is a template file will open the file as a template (.DOT) file instead. Some Word macro viruses take advantage of this characteristic and save infected files in template format with a .DOC extension.
Another variant of this behavior on Windows computers would be the Scrap Object file which actually can contain most anything from simple text to complex programs. When opened, the operating system determines what the content is and acts accordingly.
Finally, there is the issue of double extensions. To make your viewing easier, Windows offers the option of turning off the viewing of file extensions. If you do that, however, you can easily be fooled by files with double extensions. Most everyone has been conditioned, for example, that the extension .TXT is safe as it indicates a pure text file. But, with extensions turned off if someone sends you a file named BAD.TXT.VBS you will only see BAD.TXT. If you've forgotten that extensions are actually turned off you might think this is a text file and open it. Instead, this is really an executable VisualBasic Script file and could do serious damage. For now you should always have viewing extensions turned on. Here's how...
In Windows 98 double click to open "My Computer" and then select "View"|"Folder Options". Select the "View" tab and then scroll down to the entry that says "Hide file extensions for known file types" and make certain it's not checked. Click OK and then close the My Computer window. With this move you will now see extensions in file directory windows and the option will be picked up by other Microsoft programs like Outlook.
Extensions
So, with the thought in mind that file extensions are likely being phased out over time and can be spoofed, here are some to watch out for ("?" represents any character):
Another variant of this behavior on Windows computers would be the Scrap Object file which actually can contain most anything from simple text to complex programs. When opened, the operating system determines what the content is and acts accordingly.
Finally, there is the issue of double extensions. To make your viewing easier, Windows offers the option of turning off the viewing of file extensions. If you do that, however, you can easily be fooled by files with double extensions. Most everyone has been conditioned, for example, that the extension .TXT is safe as it indicates a pure text file. But, with extensions turned off if someone sends you a file named BAD.TXT.VBS you will only see BAD.TXT. If you've forgotten that extensions are actually turned off you might think this is a text file and open it. Instead, this is really an executable VisualBasic Script file and could do serious damage. For now you should always have viewing extensions turned on. Here's how...
In Windows 98 double click to open "My Computer" and then select "View"|"Folder Options". Select the "View" tab and then scroll down to the entry that says "Hide file extensions for known file types" and make certain it's not checked. Click OK and then close the My Computer window. With this move you will now see extensions in file directory windows and the option will be picked up by other Microsoft programs like Outlook.
Extensions
So, with the thought in mind that file extensions are likely being phased out over time and can be spoofed, here are some to watch out for ("?" represents any character):
