Posted by NickEaston on May 09, 1999 at 08:59:40:
You bring up a crucial point for those (many) of us who DO use html email.
I am tossing this back to the gurus at work where my info originated; they are responsible for about 150 machines and this could be a serious oversight…
New Virus Alert! - Posted by Thurman
Posted by Thurman on May 08, 1999 at 18:19:29:
A virus alert warning was pass on to me through E-mail informing me that someone is sending out a very desirable screen saver, the Budweiser Frogs - BUDDYLST. ZIP. If you download it, you will lose everything on your hard drive, it will crash, and someone from the internet will get your name and password! DO NOT DOWNLOAD THIS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!!!
It just went into circulation yesterday. This is a new very malicious virus and not many people know about it. This information was announced yesterday morning from Microsoft. Please share it with everyone that might access the internet. Again pass this along to EVERYONE in address book so that this may be stopped.
Also, do not open or even look at any mail that says RETURNED or UNABLE TO DELIVER. This virus will attach itself to your computer components and render them useless. Immediately delete mail items that say this. America Online (AOL) has said that this is a very dangerout virus and that there is NO remedy for it at this time.
Thurman
Re: Sorry! - Posted by Thurman
Posted by Thurman on May 08, 1999 at 23:16:49:
When I received this notice about the new virus alert I
wondered if this information was factual and was uncertain about posting it on this news group. Because I am still learning the basics of using the computer and didn’t know how to verify such information and wanting to do the right thing in order to prevent any of my fellow real estate investor’s computer to crash, I post the above alert about the virus.
I am sorry for any anxiety that I might have cause to any of you.
Thank you for your informative replies.
Your friend,
Thurman
Re: New Virus HOAX! - Posted by Bert G
Posted by Bert G on May 08, 1999 at 21:40:18:
This hoax, with almost the exact wording, has been around for at least 2 years. Please, before you send on virus warnings, check the source to see if it is a fact. Start at the “computer virus myths” page:
BG
Re: New Virus Alert! - Posted by NickEaston
Posted by NickEaston on May 08, 1999 at 20:07:19:
Subject: Email Virus Warning
There is a lot of confusion surrounding the issue of getting viruses by downloading something or reading email. You can not get a virus simply by downloading something or by reading email. Email is a text-only medium and therefore it is impossible to get a virus simply by reading email.
You can get a virus by opening an email attachment which is an executable file and then executing it. Examples of this are “funny” games that get circulated as executable email attachments. Once launched, they are potentially very damaging to the computer system.
However, there is a destructive practice of sending email warning people about virus infections that are not only fake, but also impossible. These are designed to destroy confidence in the Internet as a medium of communication by instilling fear in those who use it. Please see the attached article.
E-Mail Viruses by Lance Jensen
C Lance Jensen Technical Support Manager Executive Software International, Inc.
Windows NT Technical Article 2 November 1998 “Handling Viruses”
We all know about computer viruses, and many people are quite worried about them, but they are not really dangerous if you understand them and take reasonable precautions.
I’m sure you have all received e-mails warning you of dire consequences if you read an e-mail whose subject is “Good News!” or “AOL4FREE” or something like that. These are hoaxes intended to damage free communication by making people afraid to use e-mail. When you consider the time wasted reading and forwarding such things, they are as destructive as the real thing.
It is not possible – NOT POSSIBLE – to get a virus by just reading an e-mail, unless the e-mail contains a macro or attachment that you then execute.
Here are two simple rules that, if followed, will protect you from any e-mailed virus:
If you ever read a mail message and you get a warning that alerts you that the mail contains macros, make sure that you select the option to disable macros before you continue.
If you ever receive a mail message from someone you do not know and that mail contains an attachment, do not open the attachment till you have made sure the attachment does not contain a virus. There are programs on the market that can be used to check such things.
You should also be aware that both Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word have a built-in macro checker that will alert you to the existence of a macro in a file that you open as long as you do not disable this function.
The next time you get one of these hoaxes, instead of forwarding it, please reply to it with this article.
Sources of Viruses
Computer viruses are not as common as most people believe, and rather easy to avoid. Commercial software on commercial CD-ROMs is almost guaranteed to be virus-free, but any software on floppy disks or non-commercial CDs can be a risk. Anyone can make floppies and non-commercial CDs, and can put anything they want on them. It doesn’t matter who wrote the program; someone else can add to it or alter it. Commercial CDs have data, usually the name of the company that burns the CDs, burned into the inside track and visible to the naked eye. Recordable CDs lack this, and usually have a batch number on the unsilvered area of the hub. Be wary of any CD that lacks this identification, and certainly of anything with a stick-on label. Of course, even a commercial CD could be infected, since a criminal could hack into the manufacturer’s system and plant a virus before the CD master is made, but this is extremely unlikely.
By far the most common source of a virus infection is downloaded software. Anything downloaded can be infected, even from big, reliable, long-established companies. It’s not easy for criminals to break into such systems, and it certainly is very rare, but it has been done. A public bulletin board (BBS) is probably the easiest place to plant a virus. A good Sysop (the System Operator for the BBS) can keep the BBS clean, but some are careless.
Some viruses attach themselves to programs on the infected system, and are transmitted to other systems when the programs are copied. If a friend gives you a copy of a program, check it for a virus, even if you trust your friend; their system may be infected.
Re: New Virus Alert! - Posted by JohnK(CA)
Posted by JohnK(CA) on May 08, 1999 at 18:52:40:
Thurman
I think many of us who have been logging on for a good length of time can remember reading this post before.
Every couple months someone reports that the Budwiser screen saver contains a virus. Well it ain’t so! You need to use caution in accepting any unsolicited Email
or opening any down load, but this story has passed this way before. I just did a search of Microsoft’s site and can’t find any advisory or reference to this virus. Practice safe surfing, but verify what you pass off as truth.
JohnK(CA)
Re: New Virus Alert! - Posted by Steve Heller
Posted by Steve Heller on May 08, 1999 at 18:22:59:
Thanks Thurman, its always good to know someone is keeping track of these things.
Steve Heller
Wrong - Posted by Amad
Posted by Amad on May 09, 1999 at 24:26:42:
Some email software today can view email as HTML (ie. Outlook 98). When HTML is being used, client side scripting (ie VBSCRIPT, JAVASCRIPT) can be used to download a file. IF you aren’t viewing your email as HTML. Then don’t worry about it.