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What a Card!

Date Added: Mar. 29, 2002
Last Updated: June 22, 2002

Just when I thought that virus hoax authors had lost all of their creativity, along comes this gem. Of course, it's no more true than most hoaxes, it only seems that way.

Subject: RE: WORST EVER VIRUS as announced by CNN

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 and no vaccine has yet been developed. 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 "A Virtual Card for You." 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 ctrl+alt+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 mail with subject: "A Virtual Card for You." As soon as you get the mail, delete it.

Please pass this mail to all of your friends. Forward this to everyone in your address book. I would rather receive this 25 times than not at all. Also: Intel announced that a new and very destructive virus was discovered recently. If you receive an email called "An Internet Flower For You," do not open it. Delete it right away! This virus removes all dynamic Link libraries (.dll files) from your computer. Your computer will not be able to boot up.

Recent versions have combined this chain with the Internet Flower for You warning to create the "WORST EVER VIRUS" hoax. And, like that one, this one is a hoax. There is no known virus that works as described. Here are some of the tell-tale signs:

It's not dated, yet refers to "yesterday." The earliest versions of this hoax that I have found date back as far as November, 2001. So, even if it had an ounce of truth to it then (which it didn't), it would definitely be outdated by now.
It uses lots of techno-mumbo-jumbo mixed in with things that most PC users recognize. We may not know what "Sector Zero" is, but most of us are familiar with the ctrl+alt+del key combination. And, we all certainly know what it means to lose all your "vital information."
Web sites for McAfee and CNN.com do not confirm the claims of the chain letter. Rather, a search on the CNN.com Web site back in early 2002 revealed no articles on this or any similar so-called virus. And, McAfee, a leading maker of anti-virus software, soundly classifies this warning as a hoax.
Why should it matter if this hoax was received by an employee of Microsoft? The author (or revisionist, as the case may be) couldn't resist the popular Microsoft reference, though it doesn't really add anything significant to the message. You received it to, that doesn't make it any more valid. Now, if it were sent by an employee of an authoritative company... no, still wouldn't make it any more valid.
The warning implies that simply opening the e-mail will infected you. With very rare exceptions, this cannot happen. Not to mention that relying on a specific subject line to identify a virus is foolhardy at best.
Finally, it begs you to send it on. Antivirus companies do not issue warnings in this fashion, and relying on anonymously authored and randomly forwarded e-mail chain letters to protect your PC is a huge mistake.

E-mail warnings about viruses are totally ineffective at preventing infection. The best way to protect yourself from infection has always been (and remains) to install anti-virus software and keep it updated. Read "Protecting Your PC" in the Chain-Breaker's Library for reliable ways to prevent unwanted access to your data. Break this chain!

References: None