According to several hoax sites, both of the viruses mentioned in this e-mail are hoaxes (see below). Laura Hoaxes and Urban Legends: "Osama captured" / "Osama hanged" virus hoax Whenever you receive an email that urges you to immediately forward that mail to everyone you know, there is a very good chance the email is a hoax. Please take the time to verify the message by doing a Google search before you send it on to anyone else. In most cases when you take an arbitrary sentence from the message and google for it you'll end up with many hoax warning pages as the result. The following email is one such hoax. Though there really was a virus that used a message about Osama bin Laden captured or hanged to entrap people to open a virus-attachment, that was several years ago. Current virus scanners would catch this virus if it still circulated. Also, the Olympic torch / Invitation virus mentioned in this chain letter is a _known hoax_ (http://www.joewein.net/hoax/hoax-invitation-virus.htm) . Therefore do not forward that hoax email to others. Commentary: This "warning" message claims that an email with an attached file named "Invitation" contains a virus that will destroy the hard drive of the infected computer. According to the message, the attachment opens an "Olympic Torch, which "burns" the whole hard disc C of your computer". However, the claims in the message are untrue. The message is simply a rehashed version of the long running _Virtual Card for You_ (http://www.hoax-slayer.com/virtual-card-virus-hoax.html) virus hoax (see example below) and should not be taken seriously.
An examination of the two messages reveals that they share very similar wording and attempt to perpetrate the same falsehoods. Both hoaxes claim that the information has been announced by CNN, which is untrue. There is nothing on the _CNN website_ (http://www.cnn.com/) about a virus like the one described in the message. Both also claim that the virus has been classified by Microsoft as "the most destructive virus ever" and that the virus "destroys the Zero Sector" of the infected hard drive. These claims are unfounded. There is no mention of such a virus on any of the major anti-virus company websites other than articles debunking the "warning". McAfee, the company named in the message, _dismisses the warning as a hoax_ (http://vil.nai.com/vil/content/v_98893.htm) . If you receive this hoax message, please do not forward it to others. Virus hoaxes such as this one do nothing more than clutter inboxes and spread misinformation. If you receive a virus warning via email, always take the time to check the veracity of the message on a reputable anti-virus or anti-hoax website. In a message dated 4/21/2007 8:42:48 A.M. Central Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: This seems to be important..... ____________________________________ See what's free at _AOL.com_ (http://www.aol.com/?ncid=AOLAOF00020000000503) . Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. Return-path: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Full-name: Katysmom2 Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Sat, 21 Apr 2007 08:50:29 EDT Subject: Fwd: Fw: Must Read - Very Important READ READ READ HEED HEED HEED To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="part2_ce0.fb77693.335b6295_boundary" X-Mailer: 9.0 SE for Windows sub 5041 ____________________________________ See what's free at _AOL.com_ (http://www.aol.com/?ncid=AOLAOF00020000000503) . Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. Return-Path: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Received: from rly-xa04.mx.aol.com (rly-xa04.mail.aol.com [172.20.64.40]) by air-xa03.mail.aol.com (v115.11) with ESMTP id MAILINXA31-6e462974d66a; Fri, 20 Apr 2007 22:20:22 -0400 Received: from vms048.mailsrvcs.net (vms048pub.verizon.net [206.46.252.48]) by rly-xa04.mx.aol.com (v115.11) with ESMTP id MAILRELAYINXA410-6e462974d66a; Fri, 20 Apr 2007 22:20:06 -0400 Received: from Kati ([68.237.45.147]) by vms048.mailsrvcs.net (Sun Java System Messaging Server 6.2-6.01 (built Apr 3 2006)) with ESMTPA id <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> for [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Fri, 20 Apr 2007 21:20:06 -0500 (CDT) Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2007 22:20:28 -0400 From: "Peter Mrakva" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Fw: Must Read - Very Important READ READ READ HEED HEED HEED To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Message-id: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> MIME-version: 1.0 X-MIMEOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.3028 X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2900.3028 Content-type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0018_01C7839A.19F72CE0" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-priority: Normal X-AOL-IP: 206.46.252.48 _ ----- Original Message ----- From: John Rigo_ (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) To: _Renato Rapcsak_ (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) ; _Peter Mrekva_ (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) ; _Livia Lowy_ (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) ; _Leo&Gladis Kaytes_ (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) ; _Dora&Csaba Vig_ (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) ; _Gabriele Weiner_ (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) ; _Julika&Laci Strasz_ (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) ; _Karl Grabski_ (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) Sent: Friday, April 20, 2007 9:08 AM Subject: Fw: Must Read - Very Important READ READ READ HEED HEED HEED ----- Original Message ----- From: _Elizabeth Bizik_ (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) To: _John Rigo_ (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) Sent: Wednesday, April 18, 2007 3:33 PM Subject: FW: Must Read - Very Important READ READ READ HEED HEED HEED This looks like the real McCoy. You really need to read this all the through. -------Original Message------- From: _William Strauss_ (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) To: _Ann Strauss_ (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) ; _Philip Strauss_ (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) Sent: Wednesday, March 28, 2007 10:47 PM BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY. READ AND HEED. This was verified with Snopes and it is REAL. PLEASE INFORM EVERYONE Emails with pictures of Osama Bin-Laden hanged are being sent and the Moment that you open these emails your computer will crash and you will not be able to fix it! If you get an email along the lines of "Osama Bin Laden Captured" or "Osama Hanged" don't open the attachment. This e-mail is being distributed through countries around the globe, but mainly in the US and Israel Be considerate & send this warning to whomever you know. PLEASE FORWARD THIS WARNING AMONG FRIENDS, FAMILY AND CONTACTS: You should be alert during the next days: Do not open any message with an attached filed called "Invitation" regardless of who sent it. It is a virus that opens an Olympic Torch which "burns" the whole hard disc C of your computer. This virus will be received from someone who has your e-mail address in his/her contact list, that is why you should send this e-mail to all your contacts. It is better to receive this message 25 times than to receive the virus and open it. If you receive a mail called "invitation", though sent by a friend, do not open it and shut down your computer immediately. This is the worst virus announced by CNN, it has been classified by Microsoft as the most destructive virus ever. This virus was discovered by McAfee yesterday, and there is no repair yet for this kind of v! irus. This virus simply destroys the Zero Sector of the Hard Disc, where the vital information is kept. ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.
