Virus Alert

M

Miss Demeanors

New member
Very Urgent Must Read Please -
If you receive an e-mail titled "Win A. Holiday"
DO NOT open it. It will erase everything on your hard drive.
Forward this letter out to as many people as you can.
This is a new, very malicious virus and not many people know
about it.
This information was announced yesterday morning from Microsoft.
Thank You,


Compaq Computer Corporation
 
They pretty much have to be a *.exe, *.bat or other executable to do anything. Standard data files (*.dat, *.rtz, etc) don't perform any actions.

Some jokers get a rise out of crying wolf.
 
One of the best places I have found to look these up is at Symantec's AntiVirus Research Center.

http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/

Here is what they had on the one mentioned above.

Jon...

--------------------------------

Win a Holiday Virus Hoax

Aliases: Hoax
Infection length: Hoax
Area of infection: Hoax
Likelihood: Hoax
Region reported: Online
Characteristics: Hoax
Target platform: Hoax
Trigger date: Hoax

Description:
Win a Holiday is not a virus. It is a hoax. The "virus" does not exist. There is currently no virus that has the characteristics ascribed to "Win a Holiday." It is a sham, meant only to panic new or inexperienced computer users. In addition, it is a mild variant of the "Join the Crew" hoax (form 4).

The hoax message includes one of the following "warnings":


VIRUS WARNING !!!!!!
If you receive an email titled "WIN A HOLIDAY"
DO NOT open it. It will erase everything on your
hard drive. Forward this letter out as many
people as you can. This is a new, very malicious
virus and not many people know about it. This
information was announced yesterday morning from
Microsoft; please share it with everyone that might
access the Internet. Once again, pass this along
to EVERYONE in our address book so that this may be
stopped. Also, do not open or even look at any mail
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 say this. AOL has said that this
is a very dangerous virus and that there is NO
remedy for it at this time. Please practice
cautionary measures and forward this to all your
online friends ASAP.

Second "warning":


WARNING: If you get an E-mail titled : "Win A
Holiday". DO NOT open it. Delete it immediately.
Microsoft just announced yesterday. It is a
malicious virus that WILL ERASE YOUR HARD DRIVE .
At this time there is no remedy . Forward this
to everyone IMMEDIATELY!!

Please ignore any messages regarding this supposed "virus" and do not pass on any messages regarding it. Passing on messages about this hoax serves only to further propagate it.
------------------------------------
 
You can't get infected from reading a plain text e-mail. However, always scan attached files. And even then, if you don't know where it comes from, destroy with impunity.
 
"DO NOT open it. It will erase everything on your hard drive."

You can't get viruses just by opening a mail. They must be included as a file attachment, and you must open that attachment for the virus to release it's payload. Any 'virus warning' which make this king of assertion is most likely a hoax.

"Forward this letter out to as many people as you can."

Hoaxes usually implore you to 'forward this to everyone you know, blahbiddy-blah'. What better way to perpetuate the hoax? If it's a real virus warning, the person or organiztion sending the warning would do this themself.

"This is a new, very malicious virus and not many people know
about it."

This is a standard line in pretty much every hoax I've seen. They use this to heighten your fear reaction.

"This information was announced yesterday morning from Microsoft."

Notice there's no date- no way for you to check the veracity of their claims. More standard hoax tactics. I've seen hoaxes from '92 and before that even today still say 'yesterday morning'.

Always take everything you hear or read with a grain of salt.

------------------
"Is fhe'arr teicheadh math na droch fhuireach"
-Sarabian Oomodo

If it isn't Scottish, it's CRAP! RKBA!

A firearm isn't a weapon until it is used as such.
 
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