Virus Hoaxes: Not Just Harmless Pranks.
There are a lot of viruses out there. And then there are some viruses that aren't
really out there at all. Hoax virus warning messages are more than mere annoyances.
After repeatedly becoming alarmed, only to learn that there was no real virus,
computer users may get into the habit of ignoring all virus warning messages, leaving
them especially vulnerable to the next real, and truly destructive, virus.
Next time you receive an urgent virus warning message, check it against the list of
known virus hoaxes from your antivirus supplier. If it's a hoax, chances are you'll
find it in their database. And if it's a real virus, they'll probably know about it
already, and you'll find it in their list.
Don't let your guard down! Remember: Never open an email attachment unless you know
what it is--even if it comes from someone you know and trust.
Be aware that the people who create viruses can use known hoaxes to their advantage. A
good example is the AOL4FREE hoax. This began as a hoax warning about a nonexistent
virus. Once it was known that this was a hoax, somebody began to distribute a
destructive trojan horse (a trojan horse differs from a virus in that it does not
reproduce itself) in a file named AOL4FREE attached to the original hoax virus
warning! The lessons are clear:
Always remain vigilant
Never open a suspicious attachment
Profile
Name
Bud Frogs Screen Saver Hoax
Aliases
Unknown
Variants
None
Date Added
1/26/00
Information
Discovery Date: 3/1/99
Type: Hoax
SubType: E-mail
Risk Assessment: Low
Characteristics
This is NOT an actual virus.
Below is a copy of the actual text which was passed around.
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1.) BUD FROGS SCREEN SAVER
PASS THIS ON FAST AND FAR--VIRUS WARNING
DANGER!!! VIRUS ALERT!!!
THIS IS A NEW TWIST. SOME SCAM-ARTIST IS SENDING OUT A VERY DESIRABLE SCREEN-SAVER
(THE BUD FROGS), BUT IF YOU DOWN-LOAD IT, YOU'LL LOSE EVERYTHING!!!!
DON'T DOWNLOAD THIS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!!! HERE'S EXACTLY WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE - AN
EXACT COPY....DO NOT DOWNLOAD THE BELOW...JUST BEWARE OFIT.
IT JUST WENT INTO CIRCULATION YESTERDAY, AS FAR AS WE KNOW....BE CAREFUL.
"SAJ" 5/13/97 . . . . PLEASE DISTRIBUTE TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE ...THANX TO
ABYTEDOC / BYTEDOC1 FOR THIS INPUT.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OR
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DANGER!!! VIRUS ALERT!!!
THIS IS A NEW TWIST. SOME CREEPOID SCAM-ARTIST IS SENDING OUT A VERY DESIRABLE
SCREEN-SAVER {{THE BUD FROGS}}. IF YOU DOWN-LOAD IT, YOU'LL LOSE EVERYTHING!!!! YOUR
HARD DRIVE WILL <<>> CRASH!!
DON'T DOWNLOAD THIS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!!! IT JUST WENT INTO CIRCULATION ON
05/13/97, AS FAR AS I KNOW!!
PLEASE DISTRIBUTE THIS WARNING TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE... BELOW IS WHAT THE
SCREENSAVER PROGGIE WOULD LQQK LIKE!
File: BUDSAVER.EXE (24643 bytes) DL Time (28800 bps): < 1 minute
Symptoms
Not Available...
Method Of Infection
Not Available...
Removal Instructions
Not Available...
Take care,
Charles ( [EMAIL PROTECTED] )
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