--- Original Message ---
WARNING Message from [a reputable company*]
If you receive an e-mail titiled..JOIN THE CREW/for PENPALS DO NOT open it! It will erase EVERYTHING on your hard drive! Send this letter out to as many people as you can. This is a new virus and not many people know about it!
This information was received this morning by [company], Please share it with anyone that might
access the internet!! PENPAL 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 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 box! This virus will destroy your hard drive and holds the potential to DESTROY the hard drive of anyone whose mail is in your box and whose mail is in their box and so on and on!
So delete any message titled PENPAL or JOIN THE CREW. This virus can do major DAMAGE to worldwide
networks! PLEASE PASS THIS ALONG TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS AND PEOPLE IN YOUR MAILBOXES. AOL HAS SAID THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS VIRUS AND THERE IS NO REMEDY FOR THIS. FORWARD IT TO ALL YOUR ON-LINE FRIENDS A.S.A.P.!
So what does it mean? Is there a reason to fear this supposed Trojan horse e-mail message? Fear not, dear Netizens. This is a hoax.
How to tell
It's a sad fact that sometimes, for sheer entertainment value (and a good cheap laugh), people might write messages to create a panic and a bit of controversy.
So how do we know this one is a fake?
Clue 1: First and foremost, you cannot catch a virus, or have a Trojan horse run on your computer,
simply by viewing an e-mail message.
Clue 2: If you did open an attachment in the
so-called virus mail it was referring to, it couldn't harm your friends simply by sending them mail either. They would have to open the actual attachment included too.
Clue 3: A message from a professional source also wouldn't take such an alarmist stance,
use so many CAPITAL LETTERS AND EXCLAMATION POINTS!!!!, and attempt to instill panic in those it was trying to protect. These things were clearly being done in this message.
Clue 4: They probably also would have done a spell-check before hitting the "send" button.
Clue 5: A reputable company probably wouldn't send
out mail to unsolicited recipients and tell them to forward it to everyone they know. That would make it a chain letter, which is generally regarded as evil, if not illegal.
What else?
A reputable company probably wouldn't send it in e-mail at all, unless you had subscribed to a mailing list that might include this type of information, or if it was your ISP (Internet service provider).
If this were a message about an actual Trojan horse, the name of the file would probably also be included.
This message was clearly not from a reputable organization, but was sent out by someone with a sick sense of humor.
Protection from real threats in e-mail
Your best protection from real threats is not to open files from the Web or e-mail attachments from a source that you're not positive you can trust.
It's also very important to have a virus detection utility running at all times to protect your computer, and the computers of people you share your
files with. Most of these utilities can not only detect and remove common viruses, but also intercept them before they can move onto or around your computer. Some even include the ability to detect unknown viruses by watching the
behavior of the programs that load on your computer.
What to do
If the original message seems to have come directly from an MSN account, you can forward the message and an explanation to abuse@msn.com. Otherwise, if you get one of
these hoaxes in e-mail, your best bet is to delete it, and move on with your life. Either way, don't panic. If there's something real to worry about, you can rest assured we'll let you know about it.
Always be wary of what files people send you, but there's no need to be paranoid. Exercise caution and you have little to worry about.
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