Help Stop a Hoax!
Dateline: 09/14/97The chain letter reproduced below is currently sweeping the Net. It contains warnings about three alleged computer viruses: "Join the Crew," "Penpal Greetings!" and "Returned Mail." Please be aware: these viruses do not exist. The letter is a hoax. If it shows up in your mailbox, don't be deceived... and don't forward it to anyone else. Notify the sender that he or she is spreading false information. By acting responsibly, you can help stop this hoax from spreading further...
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------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
From: [Email address deleted] This notice regarding some computer viruses that are circulating the systems was received at our office today. WARNING!!!!!! If you receive an e-mail titled "JOIN THE CREW" DO NOT open it! It will erase EVERYTHING on your hard drive! This information was received this morning from IBM, please share it with anyone that might access the Internet.
Also, If anyone receives mail entitled; PENPAL GREETINGS! please delete it WITHOUT reading it!! This is a warning for all Internet users - there is a dangerous virus propagating across the Internet through an e-mail message entitled "PENPAL GREETINGS!". DO NOT DOWNLOAD ANY MESSAGE ENTITLED "PENPAL GREETINGS"!! This message appears to be a friendly letter asking you if you are interested in a penpal, but by the time you read this letter, it is too late. The trojan horse" virus will have already infected the boot sector of your hard drive, destroying all of the data present. It is a self-replicating virus, and once the message is read, it will AUTOMATICALLY forward itselfto anyone who's e-mail address is present in YOUR mailbox! This virus will DESTROY your hard drive, and holds the potential to DESTROY the hard drive of anyone whose mail is in your in box, and who's mail is in their in box and so on. If this virus keeps getting passed, it has the potential to do a great deal of DAMAGE to computer networks worldwide!!!! Please, delete the message entitled "PENPAL GREETINGS!" as soon as you see it!
There is a new virus going around in the last couple of days!!! DO NOT open or even look at any mail that you get 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 says this. AOL has said this is a very dangerous virus, and there is NO remedy for it at this time, Please Be Careful, And forward to all your on-line friends A.S.A.P.
Pass this message along to everyone you know so this can be stopped. --------- End forwarded message ---------- |
What you need to know about this hoax:
There are no actual, known "email viruses" such as the ones described in the above message. All the experts agree: while virus programs can be spread over the Internet via attachments to email messages, it's impossible (from a technical standpoint) to infect your computer simply by opening and reading an email.
Update: since this article was written, new trends in the design of email clients – for example, the ability to display HTML embedded in messages – have made it theoretically possible to transmit hostile programs via email without the recipient having to manually download an attachment. Also, security holes are discovered from time to time which can have the same effect. However, patches are available and security features can be set on email clients such that the risk of this happening are virtually nil. All users should familiarize themselves with the security strengths and weaknesses of their particular email software.
Of the three so-called "viruses" mentioned in the chain letter, two of them -- "Join the Crew" and "Penpal Greetings!" -- are well-known hoaxes that have been around for years, identified as such by CIAC (the Computer Incident Advisory Capability of the U. S. Dept. of Energy). The third, "Returned Mail," has only been in circulation since June of this year, but it is also a known hoax (see the recent Hype Alert from IBM).
The Computer Virus Myths home page reports that "combination alert" messages like the one above exemplify a current fad:
The newest chain letters combine multiple hoaxes in a single message. One alert warns people not to read email containing either 'Join the Crew' or 'Penpal Greetings' in the subject line. Another warns people to delete messages without reading them if they contain any of four evil phrases in the subject line. These combination-alert chain letters grew really popular, really fast...-- Rob Rosenberger
What you need to know about virus warnings in general:
Authentic virus warnings are few and far between. What's more, authentic virus warnings originate from official sources such as the CIAC (mentioned above), the National Computer Security Association (NCSA) or a Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT). While the presence of one or more of these acronyms doesn't guarantee the authenticity of a virus alert, odds are that a warning that does not originate from one of these sources is bogus, or at best ill-informed.
The main thing to remember is this: if you have any doubts whatsoever as to the authenticity of a virus alert you receive by email, check it out yourself before acting on the information or forwarding it to anyone else.
Where to get reliable information:
CIAC Internet Hoaxes Page - DOE rundowns on known hoaxes.
CIAC Internet Chain Letters Page - Known chain letter scams and hoaxes.
Computer Virus Myths - A no-nonsense overview of virus myths and hoaxes.
Data Fellows Hoax Alerts - Reports on all known virus hoaxes.
Antivirus Software - A guide to viruses and virus protection software.
One last thing:
Computer viruses do exist, and it's simply good practice to keep up-to-date virus detection software onhand and to scan your system regularly. You're much better off practicing "safe computing" in general than worrying about every individual virus warning that comes along.
