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Re: Fw: FYI

It is almost certainly the warning message itself that is
the prank, fortunately a relatively harmless one.

In order to take harm from a virus, you need to somehow
receive an executable file and run it.  The most common forms
are oddball shareware zips (eg games from unknown
sources);  look-alike shareware zips (have
a name like the new version of an established utility, but
do damage); and viruses written on the boot sector of
distribution floppies:  You leave the floppy in the drive by
mistake and boot the machine, and the virus is booted into
action.

To protect yourself from viruses,
invest $50 or so in a good industrial-strength virus scanner.
The high end ones come with 1-2 year upgrade services to download
new virus patterns as they are discovered.

Bill Sakoda


Michael E. Burke wrote:
> 
>  Dear Pumpkin Group,
> 
> I received this message this morning and thought that I should submit
> it to the mailing list. I do not know of the validity of this message,
> but thought it would be a good caution to undertake.
> 
> M. Burke
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Rich Hook <webmaster@key-net.net>
> To: Recipient list suppressed <Recipient list suppressed>
> Date: Tuesday, August 26, 1997 9:19 AM
> Subject: FYI
> 
> >Just for your info.  Please read message below ...
> >
> >WARNING!!!!!! If you receive an e-mail titled "JOIN THE  CREW" DO
> NOT  open
> it!
> >  It will erase EVERYTHING on your hard drive! Send this letter out
> to as
> >  many people you can.......this is a new virus and not many people
> know
> >about it!
> >
> >  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 itself to 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!  And pass this message along to all of your friends,
> >relatives  and the other readers of the newsgroups and mailing lists
> which
> you
> >are  on so that they are not hurt by this dangerous virus!!!!
> >
> >  Please pass this along to everyone you know so this can be stopped.
> >  PASS THIS ON TO YOUR FRIENDS!!! WARNING !!!
> >  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.
> >
> >  Forward this A.S.A.P. to every single person you know!!!!!!!!!
> >
> >Rich
> >Webmaster
> >Keystone Internet Access
> >
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