Re: [Fwd: Fwd: Virus's....]

[Robert J Welenc <rjwelenc@erols.com>]

Poster: Robert J Welenc <rjwelenc@erols.com>

At 08:10 8/25/97 -0400, Michael and MJ Houghton wrote:
>
>Poster: Michael and MJ Houghton <herveus@access.digex.net>
>
>Howdy!
>
>There are now apparently three email viruses spreading. Their spoor is
>listed below, along with commentary and treatment at the end. Please read
>all the way through before you take any action.
>
>A nasty email virus caused Brian M to write:
>> Poster: Brian M <wilthain@bellatlantic.net>
>> 
>[snip]> 
>>  DO NOT DOWNLOAD ANY MESSAGE ENTITLED "PENPAL GREETINGS"!
>> This message appears to be a friendly letter asking you if you are
>> interested in a PENPAL, but by the time you read this letter, it is too
>> late. The Trojan horse" virus will have already infected the boot sector
>> of your hard drive, destroying all of the data present.  It is a
>> self-replicating virus, and once the message is read, it will
>> AUTOMATICALLY forward itself to anyone who's e-mail address is present in
>> YOUR mailbox!

Think, folks.  How can it do this if it has destroyed the software
necessary to do it?
>> 
>>  DO NOT
>> open or even look at any mail that you get that says: "Returned or Unable
>> to Deliver" 

This one is downright _mean_!  I have a message in my inbox right now that
says something similar, and I suspect all servers use similar wording to
announce that your mail hasn't gone through.  Think of how many folks are
going to be scared to open and read a necessary message after they've
gotten this tripe.

>This message contains not one but three email viruses. The virus is the 
>message itself. It spreads by getting people to forward it to all their 
>friends. It is very sneaky.
>
>Please do NOT forward this message to anyone. Please do NOT forward messages
>like this unless you have MUCH better attribution than "AOL has said" or
>"someone at IBM said".
>
>These are HOAXes. They are designed to prey on unsuspecting but well meaning
>folk. The message IS the virus.
>
>The cure is to NOT forward these messages to all your friends.
>
And send BACK messages like this to the folks who sent you the original
message.  Maybe if we can educate enough of the computer-using public,
things like this wouldn't spread.  I admit, I got caught by the 'GoodTimes'
hoax early on, before someone sat me down and explained in easy words just
what a real computer virus needs to replicate. 

>thank you for your time,
>Michael Houghton ('cause Herveus don't know squat about viruses)

The tabloid press doesn't make it any easier, Mike.  (I read 'em for
giggles in the checkout line at Walmart.)  There was an article warning
people of new 'computer viruses' that supposedly eat your  hardware (!) and
could   spread to other electronic equipment like microwaves by *personal
contact*.  It went on to detail a whole list of things you should do/not do
-- wash your hands after using the computer, never put a  floppy disc on
top of the microwave (because it might be 'contaminated'), keep the
computer at least 5 feet away from other electronic equipment (because the
'virus' was becoming airborne, you see...)

I have relatives who would believe such twaddle as gospel truth, because
"The government wouldn't let them print it if it wasn't true."
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