The problem generally with bulletin boards is that they are completely unregulated. Almost anything can be lurking in a bulletin board ready to attack your machine. The best course is to know your bulletin board before downloading anything from it.
Most bulletin boards have notices or readme files listing their precautions.
Do yourself a favor and read bulletin board notices carefully and inquire about a bulletin board's security measures before you begin downloading and running programs. Not only are whole files not downloaded in executable form by users, but these professional services police themselves with a vigilance bordering on the fanatic. Insulation refers to the process of knowing where your computer has been and is going electronically. Redundancy is the daily, weekly, and monthly backup routine which creates tape or laser disk backups of all data files. Protection from viruses may seem as easy as insulating computers or networks from any disks, remote services, and on-line downloading.