new computer virus

[Phyllis]

Subject: Fw: MAJOR VIRUS WARNING
>
> Subject: MAJOR VIRUS WARNING
> Check with Snopes.com at the end. It is real.
>
>
>
> Anyone-using Internet mail such as Yahoo, Hotmail, AOL and so on.
>
> This information arrived this morning, Direct from both Microsoft and
> Norton.
> Please send it to everybody you know who has access t o the Internet.
>
> You may receive an apparently harmless e-mail titled 'Mail Server
> Report'
>
> If you open either file, a message will appear on your screen saying:
> 'It is too late now, your life is no longer beautiful.'
>
> Subsequently you will LOSE EVERYTHING IN YOUR PC, And the person who
> sent it to you will gain access to your name, e-mail and password.
>
> This is a new virus which started to circulate on Saturday afternoon.
> AOL has already confirmed the severity, and the anti virus software's
> are not capable of destroying it.
>
> The virus has been created by a hacker who calls himself 'life owner'.
>
> PLEASE SEND A COPY OF THIS E-MAIL TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS, And ask them to
> PASS IT ON IMMEDIATELY!
>
> THIS HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BY SNOPES
>
> http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/mailserver.asp
>
>
>
>

 

[Magic8Ball]

The email you received was a social engineering spam message.

It relies on you believing the message and sending it on to all of your contacts yourself, hence bypassing most of the anti-spam software on pc's.

The link at the bottom of the email is to an ASP page on a webserver which probably does something naughty on your pc.

99.9% of emails worded like that are messages of this type.

 

[Phyllis]

Thanks- shame on me! I usually never send these out without checking them out on Urban Legend myself first- did it this time - now I will have to email all those I sent it to and correct myself- hope I didn't do any damage!!

 

[Ross]

Phyllis this one is partially amiss.

Anything you get that starts out as "This information arrived this morning, Direct from both Microsoft and
> Norton.
> Please send it to everybody you know who has access t o the Internet."

Is bogus. Microsoft doesn't give a hoot about viruses, Norton does.

It is a real virus, but you have to be stupid enough to open the zip file from someone you don't know and your antivirus program should catch it any how.

If you really want to keep track of things, see the Internet Storm Center Reports on CNET:

http://www.cnet.com/topic/internet-storm-center.html

 

[Phyllis]

Thanks, Ross- I will add that site to my favorites list.

 

[ShezaGirlie]

ACHTUNG Ross.......

ACHTUNG Ross.......

I think it would be a good idea if you DELETED that link in the first post by Phyllis.. I clicked it on before I read all the posts on this thread.....

Like Magic said, "The link at the bottom of the email is to an ASP page on a webserver which probably does something naughty on your pc."........

 

[Ross]

I think it would be a good idea if you DELETED that link in the first post by Phyllis.. I clicked it on before I read all the posts on this thread.....

Like Magic said, "The link at the bottom of the email is to an ASP page on a webserver which probably does something naughty on your pc."........

That link is alright. It just goes to the article the snopes has on it. If people don't read everything on that page, the first part will scare newbies and then get forwarded to "Everyone" someone knows without thought.

 

[Phyllis]

You can delete the whole thread if you would like, Ross, but maybe it is a good lesson about forwarding these things!

 

[Ross]

Not only that, but some of them are true, but have other things added that make it false. It's always good to check something out like this. Just don't forward it until you do.