This is a prime example of another "urban myth!"
Steve Clancy
Science Library
University of California, Irvine
P.O. Box 19556
Irvine, CA 92713-9556
U.S.A.
714-824-7309
slclancy@uci.edu
[Please quote this message when you reply]
On Wed, 26 Apr 1995, Scott Portman wrote:
> Hi all;
>
> I don't know whether the following report of a virus on the internet is
> real or bogus, but I thought I would pass it on just in case. It has been
> circulated on a couple environmentalist lists. Whether true or not, it
> takes little effort to protect yourself - you are advised to immediately
> delete any message called "Good Times" WITHOUT reading it or downloading
> it! Those who are interested can read further:
>
>
> ------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
>
>
> Subject: FW: Virus
>
>
> Subject: Virus
> Date: Tuesday, April 25, 1995 11:22AM
> Priority: High
>
> TO: ALL CMPEOPLE
> FROM: EDDIE CORREIA/IT DEPT
>
> PLEASE READ THIS CAREFULLY!
>
> The following notice came across my internet connect this morning and will
> be released by DOE-HQ today, although it may be too late in some cases.
>
> "There is a new 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.
>
> Someone is sending e-mail under the title "goodtimes" nationwide. 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.
>
> Thought you might like to know...
>
> 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 unparalled 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.
>
> 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 in a test
> 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 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." Please pass this
> on...especially to anyone you know that uses "America Online" regularly.
>
>
>
>
>
>