On Friday, November 14, 2003, at 06:30 AM, James E. Gribble III wrote:
Please do not pass these hoaxes along! This one wasn't even funny.:-/
When in doubt see: <http://www.vmyths.com/>
I usually do not send bulk email. This newly discovered virus is strong
enough to make me send this note to the masses. My information comes
from CNN and I confirmed it on the net.
This is a dead giveaway of a virus hoax. Vague warnings of horrible danger, that no antivirus can stop. Typically the warning either mentions some e-mail (like this one, a variant on the hoary old 'Good Times' virus warning) or lately that some file found on your computer is a virus and you need to delete it and tell everyone you know.
The sources are all CNN, Steve Case, the FBI, Microsoft, 'it's on the net'
Well, I can find fervid belief in the Easter Bunny on the net, doesn't make him any more real...
Oddly, these warnings never come from the systems administrators at your place of work, or your antivirus vendors, who you would think were supposed to keep on top of this sort of thing.
A new virus has just been discovered that has been classified by Microsoft as the most destructive ever!
Another giveaway: Citation of impressive, but irrelevant authority. Microsoft doesn't classify viruses. Neither does the FBI, AOL, or any company but antivirus vendors, and their warnings *never* look like this.
This virus was discovered yesterday afternoon by McAfee and no vaccine has yet been developed.
RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! AIEEEE IT"S GOJIRA-VIRUS!!
This virus simply destroys Sector Zero from the hard disk, where vital information for its functioning are stored. This virus acts in the following manner: It sends itself automatically to all contacts on your list with the title "A Card for You". As soon as the supposed virtual card is opened, the computer freezes so that the user has to reboot. When the ctrl+alt+del keys or the reset button are pressed, the virus destroys Sector Zero, thus permanently destroying the hard disk.
Another feature. detailed and utterly bogus descriptions of how the virus works.
Yesterday in just a few hours this virus caused panic in New York, according to news broadcast by CNN.
Did you look on CNN for confirmation? It'd be right there in the tech section!
This alert was received by an employee of Microsoft itself.
More random but officially scary sounding attribution. No duh an employee of Microsoft gets viruses, they're a huge corporation, with tens of thousands of employees world-wide. I suspect that any virus in the wild gets to them pretty quickly.
Moreover, this is an *old* version, it's been floating about since '00 or so...So don't open any mails with subject: "A Virtual Card for You." As soon as you get the mail, delete it!! Even if you know the sender!!!
Thank you, John Roderick VP of Operations, MIS, HR IMTEC Corporation
If this is a *real* MIS VP, and you work for this company, run. (But I bet it's not, it's an attempt to meet criteria #1: did it come from a sysadmin??)
I'm serious, run for your life, you work in a place more pointy-hair infested than Dilbert's company. Catbert the evil HR director is coming down the hall RIGHT NOW to rip your living heart out of your chest and play with it, as cats are wont to do...Run!
--
"Wherever you go, there you are." - B. Banzai, Ph.D. Bruce Johnson
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