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RE: A Note on Viruses
Snopes has a bit on this at <http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/friend.htm>
There are also instructions on how to uninstall it if you happened to fall for
the ruse.
Read the fine print.
Thanks, Lynn.
Symatec also
says the WTC Survivor is a hoax. From their site:
Symantec
Security Response encourages you to ignore any messages regarding this hoax.
It is harmless and is intended only to cause unwarranted concern.
Type: Hoax
The following email hoax began
circulating in October 2001:
I just received a couple of emails
regarding a "new" virus with the following message in the body of the
email:
Date: Wed, 24 Oct 2001 08:50:15 -0500
Subject: Fwd: FW:
Warning- New Virus: "WTC Survivor"
Dear All,
BIGGGG TROUBLE !!!!
DO NOT OPEN "WTC Survivor"
It is a virus that will erase your whole "C"
drive. It will come to you in the form of an E-Mail from a familiar
person.
I repeat a friend sent it to me, but called and warned me before I
opened it.
He was not so lucky and now he can't even start his
computer!
Forward this to everyone in your address book. I would rather
receive this 25 times than not at all.
If you receive an email called
"WTC Survivor" do not open it. Delete it right away! This virus removes all
dynamic link libraries (.dll files) from your
computer.
Tommy
At 14:29 12/4/02, Lynn H. Nelson
wrote:
Symantec's monthly newsletter has warned about
a new wrinkle in
address-book swiping. When one downloads software from
the
Internet, one usually finds it necessary to agree to a set
of
terms of agreement before being able to install the new
program.
Symantec notes that some of these terms of agreement now
include
your giving permission for a piggy-back program to take a
copy
of your address book.
I suppose that so few people ever pay
the authors of shareware
that some of them feel that it is a fair trade
to allow the user
the use of the software in exchange for a saleable list
of e-mail
addresses, and, in some cases, the permission clause has
probably
been inserted into the terms of agreement without the
owner's
knowledge or permission.
This makes little difference,
however. Some of the major
anti-virus companies are now working on ways
of detecting these
snakes in the fine print but, until they succeed in
including
such detection in their programs, you would be well advised
to
look over the terms of agreement closely before signing off
on
them.
Lynn