I guess the title of this post is too subtle, as it is being misunderstood by readers. So I have put here, in red, what the full title could be so as to eliminate some of the confusion for the reader:
THERE IS A BIG WARNING COMING ABOUT COMPUTER VIRUSES THAT IS JUST AS FALSE AS THE WHITE HOUSE'S WARNING ABOUT WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION IN IRAQ WAS FALSE: THE TRUTH IS THAT THERE IS A VIRUS AROUND THAT HAS BEEN AROUND FOR A LONG TIME IN THE SAME WAY THAT THERE ARE BAD GUYS IN THE WORLD THAT HAVE BEEN IN THE WORLD FOR A LONG TIME
A member of the family forwarded the warning below. I assume that my various layers of anti-virus programs (Yahoo, Google, Outlook, & Bullguard) will protect me from the virus described in the warning that follows. I thought I would include it here just in case others are not so well protected and since it has been verified by a trusted source of online information and rumors (snopes.com).
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"VERY IMPORTANT - BIG VIRUS COMING !!! PLEASE READ
Hi All, I checked with Norton Anti-Virus, and they are gearing up for this virus! I checked Snopes (URL above:), and it is for real!! Get this E-mail message sent around to your contacts ASAP. PLEASE FORWARD THIS WARNING AMONG FRIENDS, FAMILY AND CONTACTS! You should be alert during the next few days. Do not open any message with an attachment entitled 'POSTCARD FROM HALLMARK,' regardless of who sent it to you. It is a virus which opens A POSTCARD IMAGE, which 'burns' the whole hard disc C of your computer. This virus will be received from someone who has your e-mail address in his/her contact list. This is the reason why you need to send this e-mail to all your contacts It is better to receive this message 25 times than to receive the virus and open it. If you receive a mail called' POSTCARD,' even though sent to you by a friend, do not open it! Shut down your computer immediately. This is the worst virus announced by CNN. It has been classified by Microsoft as the most destructive virus ever. This virus was discovered by McAfee , and there is no repair yet for this kind of virus. This virus simply destroys the Zero Sector of the Hard Disc, where the vital information is kept. COPY THIS E-MAIL, AND SEND IT TO YOUR FRIENDS. REMEMBER: IF YOU SEND IT TO THEM, YOU WILL BENEFIT ALL OF US. Snopes lists all the names it could come in."
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Oh, I should mention that at the very bottom of the snopes article it also says this about the real virus described above: '"Although the Postcard virus is real, it isn't a "BIG VIRUS COMING" (it's already been around in multiple forms for a long time now), it will not "burn the whole hard disc" of your computer, CNN didn't classify it as the "worst virus" ever..."'
It seems that the same false claims about this Postcard virus were also made about two previous viruses that turned out to be hoaxes (read here and here). //www.snopes.com/computer/virus/postcard.asp
[Just to be clear: the Postcard virus is real, just not very serious. In the message above the warning is a hoax, although the virus is real. Avoid the virus and take reasonable measures to protect yourself, but do not live in constant fear of attack on American soil -- I mean, on your personal computer.]
2 comments:
Nope, this warning like all similar messages is in fact a hoax.
http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_postcard_virus.htm
'Postcard' or 'Postcard from Hallmark' Virus Hoax
Netlore Archive: False email alert warns of 'the worst virus ever' circulating in the form of an attachment labeled 'POSTCARD' or 'POSTCARD FROM HALLMARK'
Description: Email hoax
Circulating since: Feb. 2008 (this version)
Status: False
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Some versions of this hoax claim the information was "verified" on Snopes.com. This is NOT true. What has been verified on Snopes.com is a different e-card virus threat with a similar name.
DO beware of phony "Hallmark" (or other) e-card notices -- they may carry a real virus.
DON'T be confused by the false descriptions below.
Variant #1:
Email example contributed by Caroline O., June 13, 2008:
Subject: VERY IMPORTANT - BIG VIRUS COMING!!! PLEASE READ & FORWARD !!!
http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/postcard.asp
Hi All, I checked Snopes (URL above:), and it is for real!!
Get this E-mail message sent around to your contacts ASAP.
PLEASE FORWARD THIS WARNING AMONG FRIENDS, FAMILY AND CONTACTS!
You should be alert during the next few days. Do not open any message with an attachment entitled 'POSTCARD FROM HALLMARK,' regardless of who sent it to you. It is a virus which opens A POSTCARD IMAGE, which 'burns' the whole hard disc C of your computer. This virus will be received from someone who has your e-mail address in his/her contact list. This is the reason why you need to send this e-mail to all your contacts It is better to receive this message 25 times than to receive the virus and open it.
If you receive a mail called' POSTCARD,' even though sent to you by a friend, do not open it! Shut down your computer immediately.
This is the worst virus announced by CNN. It has been classified by Microsoft as the most destructive virus ever. This virus was discovered by McAfee yesterday, and there is no repair yet for this kind of virus. This virus simply destroys the Zero Sector of the Hard Disc, where the vital information is kept.
COPY THIS E-MAIL, AND SEND IT TO YOUR FRIENDS. REMEMBER: IF YOU SEND IT TO THEM, YOU WILL BENEFIT ALL OF US
Snopes lists all the names it could come in.
Your comment is factual but it also demonstrates your lack of comprehension of the post that you commented about.
The point of this post is that many people do not read or heed the important or relevant information to which they have access. Subsequently they make huge warnings (like weapons of mass destruction [WMDs] are in Iraq or a super huge bad mean virus is going to destroy us all) based on false information mixed with some truth (the truth is that there are terrorists in the world, and there are viruses that can infect your computer).
The one who sent the message to me did not read all of the snopes article that clarified the limits of the threat and the falsities of the warning. You, the previous commenter on here, did not read my whole post where I clarified that the message is a hoax even though the virus is a real virus (look at the end of my post, in red letters).
And so it goes, from the Bush/Rove/Chaney administration to the anonymous blog commenter. The truth is there, if you would take the time to read and heed.
Thanks for the comment, Anon browser. Thanks for the unjustified and unproductive war, Mr. President.
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