Virus Alert

[Russinator]

THIS ONE IS REAL!!! I JUST RECEIVED ONE TWO DAYS AGO. Fortunately I didn't open it because I had seen this.....


BAD Virus ---CNN announced -- Snopes confirms as real.

 


 Here is a link to the snopes page:



http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/postcard.asp


(ihttp:// //www.snopes.com/computer/virus/postcard.asp


 

PLEASE SEND THIS TO EVERYONE ON YOUR CONTACT LIST!!


A new virus has just been discovered that has been classified by Microsoft as the most destructive ever. This virus was discovered yesterday afternoon by McAfee . This virus simply destroys Sector Zero from the hard disk, where vital information for its functioning are stored.

This virus acts in the following manner:

It sends itself automatically to all contacts on your list with the title:

"You've received a Post Card from a Family member".


As soon as the supposed virtual card is opened the computer freezes so that the user has to reboot. When the ctrl+alt+ del keys or the reset button are pressed, the virus destroys Sector Zero, thus permanently destroying the hard disk. Yesterday in just a few hours this virus caused panic in New York , according to news broadcast by CNN.


This alert was received by an employee of Microsoft itself.

So don't open any mails with subject: "A Post Card from .." As soon as you get the mail, delete it !! Even if you know the sender !!!


Please pass this mail to all of your friends.

Russ

[dcampbell1969]

I got one of these Monday , I believ it was, but just deleted it.

[Russinator]

I got one of these Monday , I believ it was, but just deleted it.

In the past several days I've received several.

Be careful - Russ

[AustinBoston]

THIS ONE IS REAL!!! I JUST RECEIVED ONE TWO DAYS AGO. Fortunately I didn't open it because I had seen this.....

Be careful...there is some nonsense in your post...

http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/postcard.asp

Wrong Snopes page, in this case.  Try:
http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/virtualcard.asp

That page says:

PLEASE SEND THIS TO EVERYONE ON YOUR CONTACT LIST!!

A new virus has just been discovered that has been classified by Microsoft as the most destructive ever. This virus was discovered yesterday afternoon by McAfee . This virus simply destroys Sector Zero from the hard disk, where vital information for its functioning are stored.

This virus acts in the following manner:

It sends itself automatically to all contacts on your list with the title:

"You've received a Post Card from a Family member".

As soon as the supposed virtual card is opened the computer freezes so that the user has to reboot. When the ctrl+alt+ del keys or the reset button are pressed, the virus destroys Sector Zero, thus permanently destroying the hard disk. Yesterday in just a few hours this virus caused panic in New York , according to news broadcast by CNN.

This alert was received by an employee of Microsoft itself.

So don't open any mails with subject: "A Post Card from .." As soon as you get the mail, delete it !! Even if you know the sender !!!


Please pass this mail to all of your friends.

Russ

While blindly clicking on any link in an email can get you in trouble, this is a case where you need to avoid them without getting worked up about the "danger" you quoted.

Austin

[zamboni]

The "virus" you posted was a hoax.  Yes, there is a trojan that is embedded in the "postcards", but the virus that deletes your hard drive does not exist.  See the word "HOAX" on the Snopes page.

http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/virtualcard.asp

[wavery]

The "virus" you posted was a hoax.  Yes, there is a trojan that is embedded in the "postcards", but the virus that deletes your hard drive does not exist.  See the word "HOAX" on the Snopes page.

http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/virtualcard.asp

That is a different hoax.....the "Postcard" virus is real. I have recieved several postcards in the past few days also.

Also, be careful about clicking on links that are provided to "Snopes". Some of these links are phony. If you want to check Snopes, always go directly to their website by typing in -www.snopes.com- your browser. Put the words "postcard virus" in the search window. It's not a good practice to click on any provided link to snopes that comes in an email or is posted in any website.

[zamboni]

That is a different hoax.....the "Postcard" virus is real. I have recieved several postcards in the past few days also.

Yes, I have received many postcard spams as well.

However, after the link to the Snopes Postcard, he then posted info about "the virus" that deletes your sector zero.  THAT "virus" is a hoax.

[harleywolf]

Indeed the deletion of Sector Zero is a hoax and the Trojan virus is real. I received an email from a family member today warning of the Sector Zero virus as real. The hoax is simply doing its job and creating some mass web hysteria I suppose.

[curryp]

I find it ironic that someone who is posting a message about a virus provides a link for others to click on. As most know it is safer to type the address in than to click on a link.

From //www.truthorfiction.com (a source that I have found reliable about urban legends and hoaxes) about the post-card virus.



"A Card for You"- "Virtual Card For You"-or "Postcard" Virus Warning-Fiction!
Summary of the eRumor
The eRumor warns of a virus just discovered by Mcafee and classed by Microsoft as the most destructive ever.

It says the virus destroys "Sector Zero" from the heard disk, sends itself to all the names in your email address book, wipes out the hard disk, and has caused a panic in New York, according to CNN.

It says that the subject will be "A Card for You", "Virtual Card for You", or "Postcard."
   

The Truth
This email is a hoax.

It has circulated continuously on the Internet since at least 2001.

There is no known virus called "A card for you" or "A virtual card for you."  

In July, 2007, someone added "Postcard" to the story and said that it had been verified as a true virus.  

It is true that there was a virus that appeared in the summer of 2007 with a subject line of:  "You've received a postcard from a family member."  There were several other variations of the subject line that talked about a "card" or a "greeting card."  But that virus had nothing to do with this false warning about "A card for you" or "A virtual card for you" and the warning that CNN had termed it the worst virus ever.

Neither Microsoft nor McAfee has had anything to say about it except that it is a hoax.

The CNN part of the eRumor was added by someone along the way.

[robpoe]

Not that destroying sector zero of your hard drive is that bad ... a computer tech worth his salt should be able to recover the computer from that ...

Average user?  Probably not.  Good tech?  Yes.

Much more destructive viruses are out there.  The greeting e-card one is mostly a re-replicator that FLOODS your outbound internet connection - sending more of the same..