Date: Fri, 21 Apr 1995 16:34:23 +1100 From: Bill Currie Subject: Internet Virus Alert To: djgpp AT sun DOT soe DOT clarkson DOT edu, leis AT usq DOT edu DOT au, d DOT edwards AT eas DOT gu DOT edu DOT au, 76247 DOT 3453 AT compuserve DOT com Organization: Tait Electronics Ltd. People, I have just received the following fowarded message from the University of Canterbury concerning a virus currently active on the internet. I suggest you read on or suffer the possibly spectacular consequences if you use the internet (Pegasus Mail etc) !! >** High Priority ** >> >> >>*********************Forwarded Message**************************** >> >> >>There is a computer virus that is being sent across the Internet. If you >>receive an e-mail message with the subject line "Good Times", DO NOT >>read the message, DELETE it immediately. Please read the messages >>below. >> >>Some miscreant is sending e-mail under the title "good times" >>nation-wide. If you get anything like this, DON'T DOWNLOAD THE FILE! It >>has a >>virus that rewrites your hard drive, obliterating anything on it. Please >be >>careful and forward this mail to anyone you care about--I have. >>******************************************************************* >> >>WARNING!!!!!!!!!: INTERNET VIRUS >> >>******************************************************************* >> >>The FCC released a warning last Wednesday concerning a matter of >>major importance to any regular user of the InterNet. Apparently, a new >>computer virus has been engineered by a user of America Online that is >>unparalleled in its destructive capability. Other, more well-known >>viruses such as Stoned, Airwolf, and Michaelangelo pale in comparison >>to the prospects of this newest creation by a warped mentality. >> >>What makes this virus so terrifying, said the FCC, is the fact that >>no program needs to be exchanged for a new computer to be infected. >>It can be spread through the existing e-mail systems of the InterNet. >>Once a computer is infected, one of several things can happen. If the >>computer contains a hard drive, that will most likely be destroyed. >>If the program is not stopped, the computer's processor will be placed in >>an nth-complexity infinite binary loop - which can severely damage the >>processor if left running that way too long. Unfortunately, most >>novice computer users will not realize what is happening until it is far >too >>late. >> >>Luckily, there is one sure means of detecting what is now known as >>the "Good Times" virus. It always travels to new computers the same >>way ina text e-mail message with the subject line reading simply "Good >>Times". >> >>Avoiding infection is easy once the file has been received - not >>reading it. The act of loading the file into the mail server's ASCII >buffer >>causes the "Good Times" mainline program to initialize and execute. >>The program is highly intelligent - it will send copies of itself to >>everyone whose e-mail address is contained in a received-mail file or a >>sent- mail file, if it can find one. It will then proceed to trash the >>computer it is running on. >> >>The bottom line here is - if you receive a file with the subject line "Good > >>TImes", delete it immediately! Do not read it! Rest assured that >>whoever's name was on the "From:" line was surely struck by the virus. >> >>Warn your friends and local system users of this newest threat to the >>InterNet! It could save them a lot of time and money.