Virus Hoax, was: serious virus

03-13-2000, 04:02 PM

Annette and all,

>We all at AOL and IBM received this today in our internal email boxes.
>It's real and it's serious, please cut and paste and forward. I've BCC'd
>so that you all don't have to scroll through names.
>
>Thanks,
>Anna Maria (Annette) van der Zon
>
>Everyone -- the following information is being circulated through
>technologies. Please be aware... ~Trisha~
>
>IBM and AOL have just reported that a new Virus - WOBBLER - is on the loose.
> It will arrive on an E-mail titled: "How to Give a Cat a Colonic".

Many viruses are dangerous only to Windows users and not to Mac computers.
But you can check on them. According to Dr. Solomon's Virus Alert web site,

http://www.drsolomon.com/vircen/index.cfm

this one is a HOAX!! Here's what they say:

> Name
> Cat-Colonic hoax
>
> Date Added
> 8/19/99
>
> Risk Assessment:
> Low
>
> Characteristics
>
> AVERT HOAX Notice!!
>
> NAI Labs AVERT would like to inform you of a
>new email HOAX.
>
> This email message is just a HOAX, currently we
>know of no other message that the user will receive about the
> HOAX as the initial email states. AVERT has not
>received any report of a user's hard drive being erased for opening
> the email.
>
> We are advising users who receive the email to
>delete it and DO NOT pass it on as this is how an email HOAX
> propagates.
>
> Below is the actual text from the message that
>may be received via email.
>
> In case you receive an e-mail titled "How to
>Give a Cat a Colonic" DO NOT open it. It will erase everything on your
> hard drive.Forward this message to as many
>people as you can. This is a new,very malicious virus and not many
> people know about it. This information was
>announced yesterday morning by IBM; please share it with everyone in
> your address book so that the spreading of the
>virus may be stopped. This is a very dangerous virus and there is no
> remedy for it at this time. Please practice
>cautionary measures and forward this to all you on-line friends ASAP.

Nevertheless, DO NOT open any such message. It has happened that after
people were told that a current hoax was a hoax, someone used one of those
letters to send out a real virus!

Love,
Dharma

03-13-2000, 08:47 PM

In a message dated 03/14/2000 1:24:12 AM Eastern Standard Time,
fisher1@... writes:

<<
Nevertheless, DO NOT open any such message. It has happened that after
people were told that a current hoax was a hoax, someone used one of those
letters to send out a real virus!

Love,
Dharma
>>
Hiya Dharma et al,

We have two machines in the office upstairs at AOL infected with this virus.
The machines have totally crashed. Being friends with the system's engineer
(SE) I had heard it already last week and he was at his wit's end trying to
get the machine up. The virus site and letter were sent out simultaneously.
I have never posted such information to this forum and would not have done so
with my name on it without knowing that it was real. The machines in the
office are totally crashed and IBM also has reported the same, the engineers
are working on a solution. Thanks.

Love and Light,
~ bo ~

03-14-2000, 01:26 PM

Hi Annette,

>We have two machines in the office upstairs at AOL infected with this virus.

All the virus/hoax sites say this one's a hoax. If AOL really has a
problem, it must be something else... a real virus. If someone has
attached a real virus to a letter about a former hoax, you should let the
virus web sites know about it.

Here are the variations on this hoax warning as given by the Virus Bulletin:
http://www.virusbtn.com/

NAME: How to Give a Cat a Colonic hoax

The hoax message looks like this:

IF YOU RECEIVE AN E-MAIL ENTITLED, "HOW TO GIVE A
CAT A
COLONIC," DO NOT OPEN IT!!!!!!!!

It will erase everything on your hard drive.
Forward this letter
out to as many people as you can. This is a new,
very malicious
virus and not many people know about it This
information was
announced by IBM Please share it with everyone
that might access
the Internet. Once again, pass this along to
EVERYONE in your
address book so that this may be stopped. AOL has
said that this
is a very dangerous virus and that there is NO
remedy for it at
this time. Please practice cautionary measures
and forward this
message to all your online friends ASAP.

There exists a variant of this hoax:

Subject: New Virus I have been informed of a new
virus - WOBBLER.

It will arrive on e-mail titled "How to Give a
Cat a Colonic."

CALIFORNIA IBM and AOL have announced that it is
very powerful,
more than Melissa.

There is no remedy.

It will eat all your information on the hard
drive and also
destroys Netscape Navigator and Microsoft
Internet Explorer.

Do not open anything with this title and please
pass this
message on to all your contacts and anyone who
uses your e-mail
facility.

Not many people seem to know about this yet so
propagate it as
fast as possible.

This information was announced yesterday morning
by IBM; please
share it with everyone in your address book so
that the
spreading of the virus may be stopped.

This is a very dangerous virus and there is no
remedy for it at
this time.

Another variant:

IBM and AOL have just reported that a new Virus
is on the loose.
It will arrive on an e-mail titled : " How to
Give a Cat a
Colonic " IBM and AOL have announced that it is
VERY Melissa,
and that there is NO known remedy. This virus
will eat all
your information on the hard drive, and also
destroy Netscape
Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer. Do
NOT open anything
with this title and please pass this information
as fast as
possible. This information was announced
yesterday morning by
IBM. Please share it with everyone in your
address book
spreading of the virus may be stopped. This is a
very dangerous
is remedy for it at this time. Please practice
cautionary
measures and this to all your online friends
A.S.A.P and,
preferably, immediately you read this e-mail.

This hoax also exists in French and Dutch. Please
ignore these
messages and don't pass them on.