birding-aus

PLEASE don't circulate unverified virus "warnings"

To: "Birding Aus" <>
Subject: PLEASE don't circulate unverified virus "warnings"
From: Paul Foxworthy <>
Date: Wed, 10 Jun 1998 14:27:39 +1000
>This may just be another hoax, but the warning does come from HP!  I thought
>it best to circulate it just in case.

Aaargh!

For the umpteenth time, an e-mail CANNOT carry a virus. E-mail messages
contain plain text. An e-mail *attachment* might, but you have the
opportunity to scan the attachment before using it.

*Please* do not circulate unverified rumours of e-mail viruses, no matter
how respectable the employer of the sender may appear. Note that it didn't
happen to the person at HP, he or she was just passing on the rumour. It
can't be done; all such reports are hoaxes. This one seems an crude attempt
to kill off a spam message.

A good place for information on viruses and e-mail "viruses" is CIAC, the
computer security team at the US Department of Energy. CIAC are good enough
to make their Web site available to the entire Internet. Their home page is at

    http://www.ciac.org/

and there is specific discussion of the "win a holiday" hoax at

    http://www.ciac.org/ciac/CIACHoaxes.html

Cheers

Paul Foxworthy

---- Coherent Software ------------- http://www.cohsoft.com.au/ ----
For interactive Web sites, catalogues, shopping carts, etc.
Member Aust. Web Publishers' Assoc.     http://www.awpa.asn.au/
Ask about our book "Genealogy on the Internet" - 3rd ed. out now!
Aust. Family History Compendium at http://www.cohsoft.com.au/afhc/
PGP Key: ftp://ftp.cohsoft.com.au/pub/pgpkeys/coherent.asc

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
Admin

The University of NSW School of Computer and Engineering takes no responsibility for the contents of this archive. It is purely a compilation of material sent by many people to the birding-aus mailing list. It has not been checked for accuracy nor its content verified in any way. If you wish to get material removed from the archive or have other queries about the archive e-mail Andrew Taylor at this address: andrewt@cse.unsw.EDU.AU