Re: Virus Warning

> I received this message this morning; I'm never sure about passing this kind of
> thing on, but in case it's true.... 

I think this is also a hoax; it sounds like a cross between the
BUDDYLST.ZIP hoax and the Budweiser frogs hoax.  You can check them
out at

   http://www.europe.datafellows.com/news/hoax/

And if you're ever unsure about sending something out like this, drop
me a line first.  I don't mind!

I'll also include my stock reply below, just for giggles.  :)

Chris
Ye Olde Perennials Listowner

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I hate to tell you this, but in sending out the message, you're 
actually propagating a virus.  Not an electronic one, but a social one.
Here's what Clay Shirky of panix.com has to say:

   "Its for real. Its an opportunistic self-replicating email virus
   which tricks its host into replicating it, sometimes adding as many
   as 200,000 copies at a go. It works by finding hosts with defective
   parsing apparatus which prevents them from understanding that a piece
   of email which says there is an email virus and then asking them to
   remail the message to all their friends is the virus itself."

Anyhow, there's a FAQ available from the U.S. Department of Energy
Computer Incident Advisory Capability that covers the Good Times
"virus," AOL4FREE, modem tax hoax, etc...  Here's the URL:

   http://ciac.llnl.gov/ciac/CIACHoaxes.html

I'd worry more about your web browser than your email, given the rash
of security holes that have been discovered lately (did you know
that if you use Navigator 4.06 or greater and have "Smart Browsing"
enabled with the "What's Related feature, a log of every site that you
visit is sent to a server at Netscape?  Check out

   http://www.anonymizer.com/content/whatsrelated.shtml

for more info -- and turn off that "smart" browsing feature).

The world may be getting smaller, but it's not any less dangerous.  :)

Take care,

Chris

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