Postcard Virus Re-Hoax?
By Joe Vanderham, April 15, 2010
"VERY IMPORTANT - BIG VIRUS COMING !!! PLEASE READ & FORWARD !!!"
or
"virus update"
There may be others but these are two that we know about. The email goes on to contain this warning text...
"VIRUS COMING !
Hi All,
I checked with Norton Anti-Virus, and they are gearing up for this virus!
I checked Snopes, and it is for real. Get this E-mail message sent around to your contacts ASAP.
PLEASE FORWARD THIS WARNING AMONG FRIENDS, FAMILY AND CONTACTS!
You should be alert during the next few days. Do not open any message with an attachment entitled 'POSTCARD FROM HALLMARK,'regardless of who sent it to you. It is a virus which opens A POSTCARD IMAGE, which 'burns' the whole hard disc C of your computer.
This virus will be received from someone who has your e-mail address in his/her contact list. This is the reason why you need to send this e-mail to all your contacts. It is better to receive this message 25 times than to receive the virus and open it.
If you receive a mail called' POSTCARD,' even though sent to you by a friend, do not open it! Shut down your computer immediately. This is the worst virus announced by CNN.
It has been classified by Microsoft as the most destructive virus ever. This virus was discovered by McAfee yesterday, and there is no repair yet for this kind of virus. This virus simply destroys the Zero Sector of the Hard Disc, where the vital information is kept.
COPY THIS E-MAIL, AND SEND IT TO YOUR FRIENDS.
REMEMBER: IF YOU SEND IT TO THEM, YOU WILL BENEFIT ALL OF US"
You can review some of the information about the hoax at sites like this, http://www.hoax-slayer.com/postcard-virus-hoax.shtml.
If you find any of this information incorrect or have information about any other virus that may be out, please don't hesitate to contact us at support@digitalfuturelive.com.
To wrap things up, the internet is a place where criminals like to abuse the privilege of information and your email is no exception to that rule. A few tips to help keep you safe from attacks..
1. Install an antivirus and keep it up to date
2. Install an antispyware and keep it up to date (antivirus alone is not always enough to keep you secure)
3. Make sure you have a firewall turned on
4. Don't open emails from people you don't know. If you are unsure about an email from a friend, contact them before you open it.
We hope you find this information useful and you have a safer computing experience.
Comments
It must be that time of year as it has come out again ... received the hoax from a family member this morning wbleepedswears its real, she not computer savvy and swears that he friends son works for Microsoft and sent this originally.
I actually received an email this morning that appeared to be from Hallmark (e-cards@hallmark.com), with an attachment called 'postcard.zip'. I clicked on it like a dummy, but thankfully McAfee caught the trojan horse. Just saying, it may warrant looking into again.
Please post comments relevant to the article. Spammy comments will be deleted. All links require approval before being posted. Please include 'http://' with all URLs.