This is a hoax. There is no way that reading a text only e-mail message can
infect a computer. The only way that a virus could be spread in an e-mail
message is if the message has some form of binary attachment, which is detached,
and then executed by the receiver, or a virus is sent uuencoded in the text of
a message, and the receiver took the deliberate (and cumbersome) step of
decoding it and executing it. If you get this kind of message, check the
executable file for viruses with a recent virus scanner before executing it.
Even then, I know of no virus that runs universally on more than one kind of
computer or operating system.
There is also no way that a CPU can be destroyed by being given some sort of
incredibly difficult problem to solve! A hard disk can be corrupted or erased,
but there is no uncorrectable physical damage.
As a side-note, your message itself had "Good Times" in the subject field, so
heeding your advice, I should never have read it!
-George
-------------
Original Text
>From firewalls-owner @
GreatCircle .
COM, on 4/21/95 7:49 AM:
Any truth to this purported virus... it was dated 12/94
>>> > > >Subject: INTERNET VIRUS
>>> > > >
>>> > > >Thought you might like to know...
>>> > > >
>>> > > >The FCC released a warning last Wednesday concerning a matter of
major
>>> > > >importance to any regular user of the InterNet. Apparently, a new
computer
>>> > > >virus has been engineered by a user of America Online that is
unparalle
led
>>> > > >in its destructive capability. Other, more well-known viruses such as
>>> > > >Stoned, Airwolf, and Michaelangelo pale in comparison to the prospects
of
>>> > > >this newest creation by a warped mentality.
>>> > > >
>>> > > >What makes this virus so terrifying, said the FCC, is the fact that no
>>> > > >program needs to be exchanged for a new computer to be infected. It
can
>>> > > >be spread through the existing e-mail systems of the InterNet. Once a
>>> > > >computer is infected, one of several things can happen. If the
>>> > > >computer contains a hard drive, that will most likely be destroyed.
>>> > > >If the program is not stopped, the computer's processor will be placed
>>> > > >in an nth-complexity infinite binary loop - which can severely damage
the
>>> > > >processor if left running that way too long. Unfortunately, most
novice
>>> > > >computer users will not realize what is happening until it is far too
late.
>>> > > >
>>> > > >Luckily, there is one sure means of detecting what is now known as the
>>> > > >"Good Times" virus. It always travels to new computers the same way -
in
>>> > > >a text e-mail message with the subject line reading simply "Good
Times".
>>> > > >Avoiding infection is easy once the file has been received - not
reading
>>> > > >it. The act of loading the file into the mail server's ASCII buffer
>>> > > >causes the "Good Times" mainline program to initialize and execute.
>>> > > > The program is highly intelligent - it will send copies of itself to
everyone
>>> > > >whose e-mail address is contained in a received-mail file or a sent-
mail
>>> > > >file, if it can find one. It will then proceed to trash the computer
it is running on.
>>> > > >
>>> > > >The bottom line here is - if you receive a file with the subject line
>>> > > >"Good TImes", delete it immediately! Do not read it! Rest assured
that
>>> > > >whoever's name was on the "From:" line was surely struck by the virus.
>>> > > >
>>> > > >Warn your friends and local system users of this newest threat to the
>>> > > >InterNet! It could save them a lot of time and money.
References:
|
|
