New Type Of Virus - Be Alert

[UltraBeat Entertainment]

I've been sent an email from a friend who works in IT. I'm not sure if this is a chain mail as it has all the symptoms but to be honest I'm not taking any chances as new virus are coming out so often these days.

This is what the email said:

VIRUS ALERT-PLEASE READ AND PASS THIS E-MAIL ON

Please Be Extremely Careful especially if using internet mail such as Yahoo, Hotmail, AOL and so on.

This information arrived this morning direct from both Microsoft and Norton.

Please send it to everybody you know who has access to the Internet.

You may receive an apparently harmless email with a Power Point presentation
'Life is beautiful.'

If you receive it DO NOT OPEN THE FILE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES , and delete it immediately .

If you open this file, a message will appear on your screen saying: 'It is too late now, your life is no longer beautiful.'

Subsequently you will LOSE EVERYTHING IN YOUR PC and the person who sent it to you will gain access to your name, e-mail and password.

This is a new virus which started to circulate on Saturday afternoon.

AOL has already confirmed the severity, and the antivirus software's are not capable of destroying it.

The virus has been created by a hacker who calls himself 'life owner.'


PLEASE SEND A COPY OF THIS EMAIL TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS and ask them to PASS IT ON IMMEDIATELY

Anyone else received this? can anybody shed any light on this? Is it real or another fake chain mail?

[Corabar Steve]

Reads like a fake to me.

[UltraBeat Entertainment]

New update:

Found the following:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_is_beautiful_virus_hoax

seems to confirm it's a hoax.

[Jiggles]

that's an old one. :D thought that been stopped!

[DazzyD]

I'm pretty certain that if a virus was identified on a saturday afternoon there would be an antivirus software upgrade released by Saturday night. Norton are remarkably quick off the mark for countering such threats as are the likes of AVG (which I use).

If I received this information I wouldn't be too worried (and I wouldn't expect to receive the email/pp presentation, either!)

[JAMdisco]

I'm pretty certain that if a virus was identified on a saturday afternoon there would be an antivirus software upgrade released by Saturday night. Norton are remarkably quick off the mark for countering such threats as are the likes of AVG (which I use).

Always struck me as suspicious that one ;) However I would never slander such companies on a pupblic forum as I bet they have better solicitors than me.


If I received this information I wouldn't be too worried (and I wouldn't expect to receive the email/pp presentation, either!)

It is an old one - I saw this around 2 years ago, and yes, it's a hoax.
Basically anything asking you to send to "everyone you know" is generally a hoax.

[pagan_flame]

************************************************** ****************
WARNING, CAUTION, DANGER, AND BEWARE!
Gullibility Virus Spreading over the Internet!
************************************************** ****************

WASHINGTON, D.C.--The Institute for the Investigation of Irregular Internet Phenomena announced today that many Internet users are becoming infected by a new virus that causes them to believe without question every groundless story, legend, and dire warning that shows up in their inbox or on their browser. The Gullibility Virus, as it is called, apparently makes people believe and forward copies of silly hoaxes relating to cookie recipes, email viruses, taxes on modems, and get-rich-quick schemes.

"These are not just readers of tabloids or people who buy lottery tickets based on fortune cookie numbers," a spokesman said. "Most are otherwise normal people, who would laugh at the same stories if told to them by a stranger on a street corner." However, once these same people become infected with the Gullibility Virus, they believe anything they read on the Internet.

"My immunity to tall tales and bizarre claims is all gone," reported one weeping victim. "I believe every warning message and sick child story my friends forward to me, even though most of the messages are anonymous."

Another victim, now in remission, added, "When I first heard about Good Times, I just accepted it without question. After all, there were dozens of other recipients on the mail header, so I thought the virus must be true." It was a long time, the victim said, before she could stand up at a Hoaxees Anonymous meeting and state, "My name is Jane, and I've been hoaxed." Now, however, she is spreading the word. "Challenge and check whatever you read," she says.

Internet users are urged to examine themselves for symptoms of the virus, which include the following:

the willingness to believe improbable stories without thinking
the urge to forward multiple copies of such stories to others
a lack of desire to take three minutes to check to see if a story is true

T. C. is an example of someone recently infected. He told one reporter, "I read on the Net that the major ingredient in almost all shampoos makes your hair fall out, so I've stopped using shampoo."

When told about the Gullibility Virus, T. C. said he would stop reading email, so that he would not become infected.

Anyone with symptoms like these is urged to seek help immediately. Experts recommend that at the first feelings of gullibility, Internet users rush to their favorite search engine and look up the item tempting them to thoughtless credence. Most hoaxes, legends, and tall tales have been widely discussed and exposed by the Internet community.

Courses in critical thinking are also widely available, and there is online help from many sources, including

For Virus hoaxes:

Computer Virus Myths page at http://www.vmyths.com
Symantec Anti Virus Research Center Hoax Page at http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html
F-Secure Hoax List at http://www.europe.f-secure.com/hoaxes/hoax_index.shtml
McAfee Associates Virus Hoax List at http://vil.mcafee.com/hoax.asp

For Urban Legends:

Urban Legends Reference Pages at http://www.snopes.com
About.com Urban Legends Page at http://urbanlegends.about.com
Centers for Disease Control Health Hoaxes at http://www.cdc.gov/hoax_rumors.htm
Urban Legends and Hoaxes Resource Center at http://www.scambusters.org/legends.html
Christian Urban Legends at http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_cul.htm

For General Hoaxes, Scams, Spam, Email Chain Letters, etc.

Truth or Fiction at http://www.truthorficiton.com
Scambusters at http://www.scambusters.org
Inboxer Rebellion at http://www.snopes2.com/inboxer/inboxer.htm
Don't Spread that Hoax at http://www.nonprofit.net/hoax/hoax_big.html
CIAC HoaxBusters at http://HoaxBusters.ciac.org/
The Museum of Hoaxes at http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/

Those people who are still symptom free can help inoculate themselves against the Gullibility Virus by reading some good material on evaluating sources, such as
Evaluating Internet Research Sources at http://www.virtualsalt.com/evalu8it.htm
Evaluation of Information Sources at http://www.vuw.ac.nz/~agsmith/evaln/evaln.htm
Lastly, as a public service, Internet users can help stamp out the Gullibility Virus by sending copies of this message to anyone who forwards them a hoax.

************************************************** ****************
This message is so important, we're sending it anonymously! Forward it to all your friends right away! Don't think about it! This is not a chain letter! This story is true! Don't check it out! This story is so timely, there is no date on it! This story is so important, we're using lots of exclamation points! For every message you forward to some unsuspecting person, the Home for the Hopelessly Gullible will donate ten cents to itself. (If you wonder how the Home will know you are forwarding these messages all over creation, you're obviously thinking too much.)
************************************************** ****************

ACT NOW! DON'T DELAY! LIMITED TIME! NOT SOLD IN ANY STORE!