| Budweiser Frogs Screen Saver Virus | |||
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| Netlore Archive: Anheuser-Busch retired its amphibious animatronic mascots, the Budweiser Frogs, some time ago, but they live on in Internet folklore | |||
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Email example (earliest variant) contributed in 1997:
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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 WENT INTO CIRCULATION ON 13/05/97 PLEASE DISTRIBUTE THIS WARNING TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE... BELOW IS WHAT THE SCREENSAVER PROGGIE WOULD LOOK LIKE! File: BUDSAVER.EXE (24643 bytes)
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Variant contributed in 1998:
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In a press conference early Friday, America Online and Compuserve President Steve Case made an announcement about a NEW, very serious virus. This is a new twist. Someone is sending out a very desirable screensaver, the Budweiser Frogs said Case. But if you download it, you will lose everything! Your hard drive WILL crash, and your computer will be useless. DON'T DOWNLOAD THIS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES! It just went into circulation recently, as far as we know. PLEASE DISTRIBUTE THIS TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE. AGAIN, DO NOT DOWNLOAD ANYTHING THAT LOOKS LIKE THE FOLLOWING... File: BUDSAVER.EXE (24643 bytes) |
Variant contributed August 2002:
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READ IMMEDIATELY AND PASS ON TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW Someone is sending out a very cute screensaver of the Budweiser Frogs. If you download it, you will lose everything! Your hard drive will crash and someone from the Internet will get your screen name and password! DO NOT DOWNLOAD IT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES! It just went into circulation yesterday. Please distribute this message.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 your address book so that this may be stopped. AOL has said that this is a very dangerous virus and that there is NO remedy for it at this time. This is VERY important. If you receive a screen saver from a friend or anyone you may not know with the Budweiser Frogs in it, DO NOT DOWNLOAD IT OR OPEN THE FILE! Press the forward button on your email program and send this notice to EVERYONE you know. Let's keep our email safe for everyone. |
Comments: As of this update (August 2005), the Budweiser Frogs hoax is eight years old and still making the rounds, even though the screen saver itself, while it's still available, is no longer the hot item it once was.
Originally offered in 1996 as a free download from Budweiser.com, the Bud Frogs Screen Saver was an instant hit — too big a hit for some people's tastes, evidently, because in mid-1997 an anonymous Internet prankster launched the first version of the hoax (see top of page) into circulation. Creative modifications and an increasingly virus-wary public have kept it in circulation ever since.
Antivirus labs say they've never detected an actual virus in any tested copies of the Bud Frogs screen saver. Still, it bears repeating that it's always a risky business to download and execute files that arrive as email attachments from people you don't know, and even people you do know. Always be wary of executable files arriving by email and, most importantly, keep your antivirus software up-to-date.
Sources and further reading:
F-Secure Hoax Info Page: Bud Frogs
"This warning about a possible trojan horse circulates AOL and the Internet. No antivirus lab has seen a sample of the original file, so this can be considered a hoax."Bud Frogs Screen Saver 'Virus' Hoax
Early debunking from the University of Michigan Virus BustersResources: Computer Virus Hoaxes
Pointers to the best virus hoax information available on the Net
Last updated: 08/08/05
