Outlook Security

You can be infected from the preview pane.
This from Symantec:

"W32.Klez.gen@mm is a mass-mailing worm that searches the Windows address
book for email addresses and sends messages to all recipients that it finds.
The worm uses its own SMTP engine to send the messages.

The subject and attachment name of incoming emails is randomly chosen. The
attachment will have one of the following extensions: .bat, .exe, .pif or
.scr.

The worm exploits a vulnerability in Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express
in an attempt to execute itself when you open or even preview the message.
Information and a patch for the vulnerability can be found at:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS01-020.asp."

When using the autopreview pane you ARE vulnerable to Active X and Active Scripting viruses.

Unless your security zone is set to restricted you will automatically run the Active X code attached to an email.

If you have to have autopreview. Go to Tools > Options > Security (tab) and change the Security Content setting to Restricted Sites, this will allow Active X and Active scripting only from sites you have explicted listed as trusted sites.

Good Luck
0bytes

If you go to tools Options other and preview pane and uncheck mark items as read when selection changes your chances decrease of activating the virus. Now this is if the virus is attached to the document and not the email. I have all of my users set to this option and haven't been infected yet.

Good luck