REAL VIRUS WARNING

[The Dude]

This is a copy of an e-mail I received from my "propellor-head":

Subject: Fw: REAL VIRUS WARNING!

Hi All,

I checked with Norton Anti-Virus, and they are gearing up for this virus!  I checked snopes.com, and it is for real!! Get this E-mail message sent around  to your contacts ASAP. PLEASE FORWARD THIS WARNING AMONG FRIENDS, FAMILY AND CONTACTS!
You should be alert during the next few days. Do not open any message with an attachment entitled "POSTCARD," regardless of who sent it to you.
It is  a virus which opens A POSTCARD IMAGE, which 'burns' the whole hard disc C of
your computer. This virus will be received from someone who has your e-mail address in his/her contact list.
This is the reason why you need to send this e-mailto all your contacts. It is better to receive this message 25 times than  to receive the virus and open it. If you receive a mail called" POSTCARD," even though sent to you by a friend, do not open it.!
Shut down your computer immediately. This is the worst virus announced by CNN. It has been classified by Microsoft as the most destructive virus ever. This virus was discovered by McAfee yesterday, and there is no repair yet for this kind of virus.
This virus simply destroys the Zero Sector of the Hard Disc, where the vital information is kept. COPY THIS E-MAIL, AND SEND IT TO YOUR FRIENDS. REMEMBER: IF YOU SEND IT TO  THEM, YOU WILL BENEFIT ALL OF US.

Tim

 

[Ned]

I never pass on this kind of message, with its alleged references, without checking those sources (and others) myself.  Most of the time the message is bogus, or at least very old.

THERE IS AN ELEMENT OF TRUTH IN THIS ONE.

If you'd like to read a bit about this from a generally reliable source, look at Postcard at Snopes.com.  What's that?  You're suspicious of the link I gave you?  Good!  You're learning!  OK, go to Snopes dot com and search for "postcard".  Better yet, google "postcard virus".

The true part of the message is that email attachments and links should be treated with suspicion, even when they appear to be from friends.  It's also true that malware can be delivered when you open these attachments or links.  I never open unexpected attachments without checking with the alleged sender.

NOT TRUE:  "This is the worst virus announced by CNN. It has been classified by Microsoft as the most destructive virus ever. This virus was discovered by McAfee yesterday, and there is no repair yet for this kind of virus. ":  This is not true, especially the claim that it was discovered yesterday.  The "postcard" angle has been around for years.

It's good to be cautious.  It's dumb to panic.  And it's somewhat safer to be running Linux or Mac OS.  8)

Ned

 

[Eli]

You PC fellas make me feel icky the way you talk about catching viruses.  ;D

Sound like a bunch of sailors after shore leave.

 

[The Woodentop]

You PC fellas make me feel icky the way you talk about catching viruses.  ;D

Sound like a bunch of sailors after shore leave.

LOL Nice one!