trentiusmaximus

A deadly computer virus is in circulation. The email that contains it has the attachment "Invitation". Dont open this at all costs!!! It looks like it was sent from a friend but the virus fills the "from" section of the email with someone from your contact list. This virus then sends itself to everyone on it. It will format your hard drive (delete every single file including the operating system (window, linux etc)) then heat up the disk reading laser and permanently damage vital and irreplaceable parts of your computer rendering it totally useless. Tell this to everyone you know!!! Every single anti-virus company and agencies such as FBI, NSA, INTERPOL and others are working to eliminate this virus. It is that serious!!!

MissMTS

Thanks so much for the info!

Alasse

Sounds like a hoax to me

Invitation virus

Peterpiper

good thing all my friends are lazy and dont send e-mails.. o wait just got one.. I'll just open it and

Oil_Fan

It's a hoax from a couple of years ago. Or an updated version of it. I found this on Symantec's website:

http://www.symantec.com/security_res...852-99&tabid=2

Discovered: February 21, 2006
Updated: February 13, 2007 12:51:30 PM
Also Known As: Olympic Torch hoax [Sophos]
Type: Hoax


The Olympic Torch Hoax is being spread through email. It has been reported that the following text of the hoax may differ slightly in the various messages going around. This hoax email includes the following warning: Subject: Invitation. This virus does not exist.

You should be alert during the next days:
Do not open any message with an attached filed called "Invitation"
regardless of who sent it .
It is a virus that opens an Olympic Torch 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, that is why you should 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 "invitation", though sent by a friend, do not open it and 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

Please ignore any messages regarding this hoax and do not pass on messages. Passing on messages about the hoax only serves to further propagate it.

trentiusmaximus

If this whole thing was a hoax then why did it appear on CNN just a few nights ago? Anyway, whatever just remember to not open stupid useless links, attachments, and files.

sirdarksol

Major news channels have picked up Onion articles and listed them as true before. All it takes is a series of lazy editors. No reason the same couldn't happen with a hoax like this.

Actually, the key for me was when it said it would delete the operating system (windows/linux). Linux is known to be nearly impossible to infect with a virus because there are so many different variants, and I've never heard of a virus that can hop between operating systems.

COBettaCouple

I think CNN would put on a story about pigs flying if it got them more viewers. Always check these 'warnings' about viruses at the anti-virus websites, a lot of them are just hoaxes.

Oil_Fan

The only types of virus that can hop operating systems are ones that infect certain cross platform applications such the old MS Word macro virus back in the day. Because most viruses require access to high level OS vulnerabilities, they can't be written for other OS's such as the Mac, linux or unix. Also certain OS's such Mac OS X, linux and unix usually require you enter in a password to do anything that can affect the whole OS or even to just install apps.

As for CNN, I'll be sure to beat some heads in tomorrow when I'm over there. I work for Turner Broadcasting and have meetings with some of my counterparts over at CNN (we're one big happy corporation!).

Oil_Fan

Look who watches Fox News!! I'm just messin' with ya...heh

But I have seen Symantec come out with a fix for a virus within a 4 or 5 hours after we submit it to them. They are amazingly fast. Add that to the fact all of the anti virus companies work together and share info when a new virus pops up. The last thing one of them want to be accused of is holding back info that could stopped the spread of a new one.

sirdarksol

Okay, so I didn't think about the cross-platform apps, but I can't imagine that those would do much more than mess with the program in question.

Oil_Fan

Pretty much. And I'm talking 1999 or so when this was happening. It was one of the few times I've seen a virus on a Mac...it was a macro virus that could infect Word documents. Even then it really didn't do much as I recall.

Mike

Hoax or not, never open emails from someone you don't know or are not expecting emails from. The worst one I can think of is the I Love You virus from a few years ago. You guys remember that one?

Anybody think that the anti-virus companies actually write many of these viruses?

Oil_Fan

This is true. I've seen spoofed emails that contained a new virus that infected AIM clients. And they looked really convincing. It even fooled one of my bosses. And that I Love You virus was a mean one.

Mike...I've also thought that about the anti virus companies...it just seems like a good way to stay in business.

Mike

I know, I find it hard to believe that there are that many evil coders/programmers just sitting around writing all these viruses when they could be developing cool applications and making money from it. Just doesn't add up.

KittieKat

well regardless of who actually creates the viruses they must be some pretty sick people... terrorism isnt cool and creating something that cost millions/billions of dollars just for the "fun" of it is definately a form of terrorism. no matter how much i think about it i cant come up with any reason as to why someone would even think of doing it. what? do they think to themselves "hmm... i wonder what i can do to ruin lives, cost billions of dollars, and get me sent to jail... oh! i know! create a computer virus that will destroy everyones computers!" lame.. so lame

sirdarksol

I wouldn't put it past a corporation to do this, but I've seen enough senseless destruction of others' property to know that there are plenty of people who enjoy destroying stuff in order to prove that they're more powerful than another.
A lot of smart people don't fit in with those around them, and end up hating society because of it.

COBettaCouple

Yea.. this is one reason (among many) that I want to run Ubuntu rather than Windows on the new PC that I'll be getting Stacy.

Oil_Fan

There are some basic rules to follow when it comes to your computer. Keep it up to date. Install the critical patches as they come out. Both Microsoft and Apple are really good about regularly releasing patches.

Be sure your anti virus software is up to date. Most of the commercial ones time out after one year. If you don't want to pay money to Symantec or McAfee or one of the other ones..there are a couple of free ones for home users. I use Avast. They support both XP and Vista for both the 32 bit and 64 bit versions.

COBettaCouple

Yea, with a Windows PC, I'd recommend anti-virus software, anti-spyware & ad-ware & malware software, anti-hacker software and a firewall. All can be gotten for free and provide a Windows PC a fair amount of protection.

sirdarksol

AVG provides better protection than symantec or mcafee, in my experience. It's free, and doesn't take two months to install. (Every time I try to install or update symantec, I have to jump through hoops to get it to work properly).

COBettaCouple

Yea, I install AVG on any PCs with Windows that I setup for people. They have a number of great free protection programs and like you said, it sure beats installing symantec and it really does do the best.