ITPEC IP October 2022 Question 39
Which of the following is the list that contains all appropriate features of chain mail?
Explanation
B and D — chain mail tells the reader to forward it to many people, and the copies it multiplies load the network and servers for nothing.
A chain mail ("forward this to ten friends") spreads by its own instruction: every recipient sends it to several more, so the number of copies grows explosively. The copies waste network bandwidth, mail server capacity and the recipients' time, and the content is often false, such as a fake virus warning. The right response is not to forward it.
- •A — sharing information within a group describes a mailing list, not chain mail
- •B — yes: the multiplying copies load servers and lines for no purpose
- •C — replying again and again to the same e-mail is a long thread among the same people, not the spread of chain mail by forwarding to new people
- •D — yes: the request to forward to many people is the defining feature
Answer (d)
Why not others:
- •(a) A, C — neither is chain mail: A is a mailing list, C a reply thread
- •(b) A, D — D is right, but A describes normal group communication
- •(c) B, C — B is right, but chain mail spreads by forwarding, not by repeated replies to one e-mail
Key rule: Chain mail is recognised by its request to pass it on; do not forward it even with good intentions, because the forwarding itself is the harm.
Security · AI-written, may contain errors
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