Well, I just thought I'd pass this on to clear things up. Hopefully , this will
be the last message of this kind. If your fed up already with virus related
stuff, don't read on. I don't intend to ruin your day. Have a good one.
Allison
From: IN%"[log in to unmask]" "Louise S. Robbins SLIS 263-2105"
To: [log in to unmask], [log in to unmask],
[log in to unmask], [log in to unmask]
Subject: virus alert a hoax?
>From: WIRCS2::KTBULLER "Katie Buller"
>To: lrobbins
>Subject: virus hoax
>
>>>
>>>------- Forwarded Message
>>>
>>> U.S. DOE's Computer Incident Advisory Capability
>>> ___ __ __ _ ___ __ __ __ __ __
>>> / | /_\ / |\ | / \ | |_ /_
>>> \___ __|__ / \ \___ | \| \__/ | |__ __/
>>>
>>>Number 94-04 December 6, 1994
>>>
>>> ------------------- A - T - T - E - N - T - I - O - N -------------------
>>>| CIAC is available 24-hours a day via its two skypage numbers. To use |
>>>| this service, dial 1-800-759-7243. The PIN numbers are: 8550070 (for |
>>>| the CIAC duty person) and 8550074 (for the CIAC manager). Please keep |
>>>| these numbers handy. |
>>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>>Welcome to the fourth issue of CIAC Notes! This is a special edition to
>>>clear up recent reports of a "good times" virus-hoax. Let us know if you
>>>have topics you would like addressed or have feedback on what is useful and
>>>what is not. Please contact the editor, Allan L. Van Lehn, CIAC,
>>>510-422-8193 or send E-mail to [log in to unmask]
>>>
>>> $-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$
>>> $ Reference to any specific commercial product does not necessarily $
>>> $ constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation or favoring by $
>>> $ CIAC, the University of California, or the United States Government.$
>>> $-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$
>>>
>>>THE "Good Times" VIRUS IS AN URBAN LEGEND
>>>
>>>In the early part of December, CIAC started to receive information requests
>>>about a supposed "virus" which could be contracted via America OnLine, simply
>>>by reading a message. The following is the message that CIAC received:
>>>
>>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>| Here is some important information. Beware of a file called Goodtimes. |
>>>| |
>>>| Happy Chanukah everyone, and be careful out there. There is a virus on |
>>>| America Online being sent by E-Mail. If you get anything called "Good |
>>>| Times", DON'T read it or download it. It is a virus that will erase your |
>>>| hard drive. Forward this to all your friends. It may help them a lot. |
>>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>>THIS IS A HOAX. Upon investigation, CIAC has determined that this message
>>>originated from both a user of America Online and a student at a university
>>>at approximately the same time, and it was meant to be a hoax.
>>>
>>>CIAC has also seen other variations of this hoax, the main one is that any
>>>electronic mail message with the subject line of "xxx-1" will infect your
>>>computer.
>>>
>>>This rumor has been spreading very widely. This spread is due mainly to the
>>>fact that many people have seen a message with "Good Times" in the header.
>>>They delete the message without reading it, thus believing that they have
>>>saved themselves from being attacked. These first-hand reports give a false
>>>sense of credibility to the alert message.
>>>
>>>There has been one confirmation of a person who received a message with
>>>"xxx-1" in the header, but an empty message body. Then, (in a panic, because
>>>he had heard the alert), he checked his PC for viruses (the first time he
>>>checked his machine in months) and found a pre-existing virus on his machine.
>>> He incorrectly came to the conclusion that the E-mail message gave him the
>>>virus (this particular virus could NOT POSSIBLY have spread via an E-mail
>>>message). This person then spread his alert.
>>>
>>>As of this date, there are no known viruses which can infect merely through
>>>reading a mail message. For a virus to spread some program must be executed.
>>>Reading a mail message does not execute the mail message. Yes, Trojans have
>>>been found as executable attachments to mail messages, the most notorious
>>>being the IBM VM Christmas Card Trojan of 1987, also the TERM MODULE Worm
>>>(reference CIAC Bulletin B-7) and the GAME2 MODULE Worm (CIAC Bulletin B-12).
>>> But this is not the case for this particular "virus" alert.
>>>
>>>If you encounter this message being distributed on any mailing lists, simply
>>>ignore it or send a follow-up message stating that this is a false rumor.
>>>
>>>Karyn Pichnarczyk
>>>CIAC Team
>>>[log in to unmask]
>>>
>>>
>>>- ------------------------------
>>>Contacting CIAC
>>>
>>>If you require additional assistance or wish to report a vulnerability, call
>>>CIAC at 510-422-8193, fax messages to 510-423-8002 or send E-mail to
>>>[log in to unmask] For emergencies and off-hour assistance, call 1-800-SKY-PAGE
>>>(759-7243) and enter PIN number 8550070 (primary) or 8550074 (secondary).
>>>The CIAC Duty Officer, a rotating responsibility, carries the primary
>>>skypager. The Project Leader carries the secondary skypager. If you are
>>>unable to contact CIAC via phone, please use the skypage system.
>>>
>>>- ------------------------------
>>>This document was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of
>>>the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor the
>>>University of California nor any of their employees, makes any warranty,
>>>express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the
>>>accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product,
>>>or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately
>>>owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial products, process,
>>>or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not
>>>necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation or favoring
>>>by the United States Government or the University of California. The views
>>>and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect
>>>those of the United States Government or the University of California, and
>>>shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes.
>>>
>>>- ------------------------------
>>>End of CIAC Notes Number 94-04 94_12_06
>>>****************************************
>>>
>>>- --
>>>Ted Lemon
[log in to unmask]
>>>+1 415 477 5045
>>>
>>>Fight to preserve your freedom to program: Join the League for
>>>Programming Freedom! For info, contact [log in to unmask]
>>>
>>>------- End of Forwarded Message
>>
>
>
>
> Katie Buller Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison
> [log in to unmask] School of Library and
> [log in to unmask] Information Studies
>-------------------------------------------------------------
> Ask me about _ASSOCIATES: the Electronic Library Support
> Staff Journal_ and about PUBLABOR, the list for public
> sector employment unionism.
>-------------------------------------------------------------
Louise S. Robbins
Assistant Professor and Director, Laboratory Library
School of Library and Information Studies
University of Wisconsin-Madison
600 N. Park Street
Madison, WI 53706
Phone: 608-263-2105 (office) or 263-2963 (laboratory library)
[log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Allison Smith
University of Wisconsin Madison
School of Library and Information Studies
[log in to unmask]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
