The following was retrieved from
http://ciac.llnl.gov/ciac/CIACHoaxes.html#penpal
which is a site that deals with HOAX VIRUS' and URBAN LEGENDS.
Notwithstanding the credentials of the individual who initiated the
notice (also attached) this is a HOAX of the top magnitude!
Best wishes........Jack
********************************************************************************
PENPAL GREETINGS! <bold><underline>Warning Hoax
</underline></bold>
The PENPAL GREETINGS! Hoax shown below appears to be an attempt to kill
an e-mail chain letter by claiming that it is a
self starting Trojan that destroys your hard drive and then sends copies
of itself to everyone whose address in in your mailbox.
Reading an e-mail message does not run it nor does it run any
attachments, so this Trojan must be self starting. Aside from the
fact that a program cannot start itself, the Trojan would also have to
know about every different kind of e-mail program to be
able to forward copies of itself to other people. This warning is totally
a hoax.
FYI!
Subject: Virus Alert
Importance: High
If anyone receives mail entitled: PENPAL GREETINGS! please delete it
WITHOUT
reading it. Below is a little explanation of the message, and what
it would
do to your PC if you were to read the message. If you have any
questions or
concerns please contact SAF-IA Info Office on 697-5059.
This is a warning for all internet users - there is a dangerous
virus
propogating across the internet through an e-mail message entitled
"PENPAL
GREETINGS!".
DO NOT DOWNLOAD ANY MESSAGE ENTITLED "PENPAL GREETINGS!"
This message appears to be a friendly letter asking you if you are
interestedin a penpal, but by the time you read this letter, it is
too late.
The "trojan horse" virus will have already infected the boot sector
of your hard
drive, destroying all of the data present. It is a self-replicating
virus,
and once the message is read, it will AUTOMATICALLY forward itself
to anyone
who's e-mail address is present in YOUR mailbox!
This virus will DESTROY your hard drive, and holds the potential to
DESTROY
the hard drive of anyone whose mail is in your inbox, and who's mail
is in
their inbox, and so on. If this virus remains unchecked, it has the
potential
to do a great deal of DAMAGE to computer networks worldwide!!!!
Please, delete the message entitled "PENPAL GREETINGS!" as soon as
you see it!
And pass this message along to all of your friends and relatives,
and the
other readers of the newsgroups and mailing lists which you are on,
so that
they are not hurt by this dangerous virus!!!!
***************************************************************
At 11:16 12/30/1998 -0700, Sharon Starr wrote:
>I haven't researched this one but it was sent to me by a computer
teacher.
>??? Sharon
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Vicki Vandiver <<[log in to unmask]>
>To: BOB BECKHAM <<[log in to unmask]>; Bryan L. Martin
><<[log in to unmask]>; Carol Yarusinsky <<[log in to unmask]>;
>[log in to unmask] <<[log in to unmask]>;
Claudia
>Caldwell - Staff <<[log in to unmask]>; [log in to unmask]
><<[log in to unmask]>; Denise Bell <<[log in to unmask]>; DENNIS S SIMPSON
><<[log in to unmask]>; [log in to unmask] <<[log in to unmask]>;
>[log in to unmask] <<[log in to unmask]>; [log in to unmask]
><<[log in to unmask]>; Heather Caillouet <<[log in to unmask]>;
Jeffery
>Quasny <<[log in to unmask]>; Jerry Kirkish <<[log in to unmask]>;
Joyce
>Sterner <<[log in to unmask]>; [log in to unmask] <<[log in to unmask]>;
>[log in to unmask] <<[log in to unmask]>; [log in to unmask]
><<[log in to unmask]>; Mary A.Kramme <<[log in to unmask]>; Matt
Mosciski
><<[log in to unmask]>; Melissa & Terry Sherman <<[log in to unmask]>;
Paul
>Weldin <<[log in to unmask]>; Ray & Sherry Montijo
<<[log in to unmask]>;
>Richard Pressl <<[log in to unmask]>; RICK DAVIS
><<[log in to unmask]>; [log in to unmask] <<[log in to unmask]>; Sam Black
><<[log in to unmask]>; Sharon Starr STARR <<[log in to unmask]>;
>[log in to unmask] <<[log in to unmask]>; Stephanie Adams - ASP Faculty
><<[log in to unmask]>; Sweeney, Marianne
><<[log in to unmask]>; Vincent Lanas
<<[log in to unmask]>
>Date: Tuesday, December 29, 1998 7:42 PM
>Subject: [Fwd: Virus alert.......not joke]
>
>
>>
>>
>Received: from smtp03.primenet.com ([log in to unmask]
[206.165.6.133])
> by primenet.com (8.8.8/8.8.5) with ESMTP id SAA16047
> for <<[log in to unmask]>; Mon, 21 Dec 1998
18:42:30 -0700 (MST)
>From: [log in to unmask]
>Received: (from daemon@localhost)
> by smtp03.primenet.com (8.8.8/8.8.8) id SAA26034
> for <<[log in to unmask]>; Mon, 21 Dec 1998 18:42:30 -0700
(MST)
>Received: from imo16.mx.aol.com(198.81.17.6)
> via SMTP by smtp03.primenet.com, id smtpd025982; Mon Dec 21 18:42:23
1998
>Received: from [log in to unmask]
> by imo16.mx.aol.com (IMOv18.1) id 6UUa011663;
> Mon, 21 Dec 1998 20:40:09 +1900 (EST)
>Message-ID: <<[log in to unmask]>
>Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1998 20:40:09 EST
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Cc: [log in to unmask], [log in to unmask], [log in to unmask],
> [log in to unmask], [log in to unmask]
>Mime-Version: 1.0
>Subject: Virus alert.......not joke
>Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
>Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit
>X-Mailer: AOL 4.0 for Windows 95 sub 226
>X-Mozilla-Status2: 00000000
>
>>If you receive an e-mail titled..JOIN THE CREW FOR
>>PENPALS, DO NOT open it!!!!!
>>
>>It will erase EVERYTHING on your hard drive!
>>
>>Send this letter out to as many people as you can....this is a
>>new virus and not many people know about it!! This
>>information was received this morning by IBM, Please share
>>it with anyone that might access the internet!!!
>>PENPAL appears to be a friendly letter asking you if you are
>>interested in a penpal.....but by the time you read this letter
>>it is TOO late.
>>The Trojan horse virus will have already infected the boot
>>sector of your harddrive, destroying all the data present.
>>It is a self-replicating virus, and once the message is read it
>>will AUTOMATICALLY forward itself to anyone who's e-mail
>>address is present in your box!!!
>>This virus will destroy your hard drive and holds the potential
>>to DESTROY the hard drive of anyone whose mail is in your
>>> box and whose mail is in their box and so on and on!!!!!!
>>So delete any message titled PENPAL or JOIN THE
>>CREW.......this virus can do major DAMAGE to worldwide
>>networks!!!!
>>PLEASE PASS THIS ALONG TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS AND
>>PEOPLE IN YOUR MAILBOXES.........
>>AOL..... HAS SAID THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS VIRUS
>>AND THERE IS NO REMEDY FOR THIS........ FORWARD
>>IT TO ALL YOUR ON-LINE FRIENDS A.S.A.P.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>
>
<color><param>0000,8080,0000</param>***********************************************************
</color><bold><color><param>8080,0000,8080</param>E. Jack Savely CG for
Jeannette 60/38/37 Topeka, KS
</color><color><param>0000,0000,8080</param>[log in to unmask]
</color></bold><color><param>0000,8080,0000</param>***********************************************************
</color><color><param>ffff,0000,0000</param>KANSAS -
</color><italic><color><param>0000,8080,8080</param>'THE WHEAT
STATE'</color><color><param>0000,ffff,0000</param>
</color></italic><color><param>0000,0000,ffff</param>HOME OF THE
SUNFLOWER AND 'TOTO'
</color><bold><color><param>ffff,0000,ffff</param>Ad Astra per Aspera -
'To the Stars through Difficulty'
</color></bold><color><param>0000,8080,0000</param>***********************************************************</color>
