ridecamp@endurance.net: [endurance] FW: FYI... the virus attack!

[endurance] FW: FYI... the virus attack!

Lori Reed (lcreed@intrnet.net)
Sat, 1 Jun 1996 15:13:52 +0100 ( )

>From: "Oliver L. Dunn Jr." <odunn@intrnet.net>
>To: "'District 186'" <dist186@intrnet.net>
>Cc: "'bhall@intrnet.net'" <bhall@intrnet.net>
>Subject: FW: FYI... the virus attack!
>Date: Fri, 31 May 1996 21:06:34 -0500
>X-UIDL: 833638113.000
>
>Hi all, here is a follow up to what I sent out about the new virus. This
should make us breathe easier. It's too bad there are those warped mindsout
there that find pranks like this to be funny. Have a nice summer! Bye,
Larry Dunn
>
>----------
>From: Rabois[SMTP:rabois@sover.net]
>Sent: Friday, May 31, 1996 8:00 AM
>To: Multiple recipients of list FLTEACH
>Subject: Re: FYI... the virus attack!
>
>When I read about this virus, I got as scared as the any new internet
>user would, and contacted my server. GREAT KNOWLEDGEABLE PEOPLE!
>This was their response. I am passing it on as it sure made me feel
>better!
>
>Rabois
>
>
>Caleb Randall wrote:
>
>> DO READ this message, and check out the URL at the end of it... "GOOD TIMES"
>> is just a hoax, and hasn't died yet... check out the URL (which has
>> confirmations of its own) and send the following (if you'd like) to anyone
>> else you may have sent the warning to.
>>
>> >THE "Good Times" VIRUS IS AN URBAN LEGEND
>> >
>> > In the early part of December, CIAC started to receive information
>> requests about a supposed "virus" which could be
>> > contracted via America OnLine, simply by reading a message.
>> >
>> >
>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> > | Here is some important information. Beware of a file called
>> Goodtimes. |
>> > |
>> |
>> > | Happy Chanukah everyone, and be careful out there. There is a virus
>> on |
>> > | America Online being sent by E-Mail. If you get anything called
>> "Good |
>> > | Times", DON'T read it or download it. It is a virus that will erase
>> your |
>> > | hard drive. Forward this to all your friends. It may help them a
>> lot. |
>> >
>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> >
>> > THIS IS A HOAX. Upon investigation, CIAC has determined that this
>> message originated from both a user of America
>> > Online and a student at a university at approximately the same time,
>> and it was meant to be a hoax.
>> >
>> > CIAC has also seen other variations of this hoax, the main one is that
>> any electronic mail message with the subject line of
>> > "xxx-1" will infect your computer.
>> >
>> > This rumor has been spreading very widely. This spread is due mainly
>> to the fact that many people have seen a message with
>> > "Good Times" in the header. They delete the message without reading
>> it, thus believing that they have saved themselves from
>> > being attacked. These first-hand reports give a false sense of
>> credibility to the alert message.
>> >
>> > There has been one confirmation of a person who received a message
>> with "xxx-1" in the header, but an empty message
>> > body. Then, (in a panic, because he had heard the alert), he checked
>> his PC for viruses (the first time he checked his
>> > machine in months) and found a pre-existing virus on his machine. He
>> incorrectly came to the conclusion that the E-mail
>> > message gave him the virus (this particular virus could NOT POSSIBLY
>> have spread via an E-mail message). This person
>> > then spread his alert.
>> >
>> > As of this date, there are no known viruses which can infect merely
>> through reading a mail message. For a virus to spread
>> > some program must be executed. Reading a mail message does not execute
>> the mail message. Yes, Trojans have been found
>> > as executable attachments to mail messages, the most notorious being
>> the IBM VM Christmas Card Trojan of 1987, also
>> > the TERM MODULE Worm (reference CIAC Bulletin B-7) and the GAME2
>> MODULE Worm (CIAC Bulletin B-12).
>> > But this is not the case for this particular "virus" alert.
>> >
>> > If you encounter this message being distributed on any mailing lists,
>> simply ignore it or send a follow-up message stating that
>> > this is a false rumor.
>> >
>> > Karyn Pichnarczyk
>> > CIAC Team
>> > ciac@llnl.gov
>>
>> CHeck out http://www.nn.doe.gov/goodtime.html for more information on the
>> hoax...
>>
>> I was fooled the first time I read it as well...
>>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>