new virus warning--NOT!

[Elizabeth L. Brown]

It's not new, and it's not a virus.

Once again, plain old electronic mail cannot carry viruses.  ASCII just
can't do this alone.  (However, email that uses word processor files and
software its reader can carry a virus and so can email attachments.)  It's
also really tough (most say impossible) for a virus to cross platforms, PC
to MAC to UNIX, for example.

There are a number of Internet resources to help you identify hoaxes.
One source is on the McAfee website. McAfee makes virus scanning software.
http://www.mcafee.com/support/hoax.html

Here you'll see a list of popular hoaxes with details about them.

For example:

  AOL4Free Hoax
  Bud Frogs Screen Saver
  BUDDYLST.ZIP Email Hoax
  Deeyenda Hoax
  Ghost.exe Hoax
  Good Times Hoax
  Irina Hoax
  Join The Crew hoax
  A Moment Of Silence Hoax
  Penpal Hoax
  Returned or Unable to Deliver Hoax
  Valentine's Greetings Hoax

Now, just as you tell everyone with whom you shared a disk when you do find
a virus that he/she needs to scan, you need to tell everyone with whom you
shared a hoax as fact, not to worry.

Good day.

Elizabeth Brown
ebro at loc.gov

(opinions mine and mine alone)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 18:15:35 -0700
>From: CHRIS STENSVOLD <CSTENS at mx.tol.lib.ca.us>
>To: web4lib at library.berkeley.edu
>Subject: new virus warning
>Message-ID: <s4031d56.024 at mx.tol.lib.ca.us>

>This message was forwarded to me today.  Have any of you heard of it?
> Is it a legitimate concern?
>Chris Stensvold
>WebWeaver, Thousand Oaks Library
>http://www.tol.lib.ca.us

> >
> > WARNING!!!!!! If you receive an e-mail titled "JOIN THE  CREW" DO NOT
> > open it!
> > It will erase EVERYTHING on your hard drive! This is a new virus and
> > not many people know about it!
> > Please share it with anyone that might access the Internet.
> >
> > Also, If anyone receives mail entitled; PENPAL GREETINGS! please
> > delete it WITHOUT
> > reading it!!  This is a warning for all Internet users - there is a
> > dangerous virus propagating across the Internet through an e-mail
> > message entitled "PENPAL GREETINGS!".  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!
> >
> > This virus will DESTROY your hard drive, and holds the potential to
> > DESTROY the hard drive of anyone whose mail is in your in box, and
> > who's mail is in their in box and so on.  If this virus keeps getting
> > passed, it has the potential to do a great deal of DAMAGE to
computer
> > networks worldwide!!!!
> > Please, delete the message entitled "PENPAL GREETINGS!" as soon
as you
> > see it!
> >
> > And pass this message along to all of your friends, relatives and the
> > other readers of the newsgroups and mailing lists which you are on
so
> > that they are not hurt by this dangerous virus!!!!  Please pass this
> > along to everyone you know so this can be stopped.
> >
> > PASS THIS ON TO YOUR FRIENDS!!! WARNING !!!
> > There is a new virus going arround in the last couple of days!!!  DO
> > NOT open or even look at any mail that you get that says: "Returned
or
> > Unable to Deliver" This virus will attach itself to your computer
> > components and render them useless. Immediately delete any mail
items
> > that says this. AOL has said this is a very danderous virus, and
there
> > is NO remedy for it at this time,
> >
> > Please Be Careful, And forward to all your on-line friends A.S.A.P.
> >
> >
> > Best regards
> >
> > J.M.Ho
> > Microsoft Taiwan