I received the following email about the CALIFORNIA & GOBBLER virus last nite. I suppose the GEN-NEWBIE list is the perfect place for an email hoax to get started again. But I would expect wiser computer users would check them out. THIS IS A HOAX . Jeanette >DO NOT FORWARD THIS WARNING TO ANYONE ELSE > !!!!! If you have already done so, EMAIL THEM AND TELL THEM THIS IS A > "HOAX" !!!!! > > We Listowners at Rootsweb (and elsewhere) have long had a rule that NO > virus warning is to be posted to the Mailing Lists -- just for this VERY > reason. Too many people believe hoax email and become accomplices in > clogging up the internet with worthless warnings. > > DO AS I DID WHEN I RECEIVED THE "VIRUS WARNING". Go to one of the web > sites for anti-virus programs (I went to www.mcafee.com) and check it > out. When I went to the site, neither "WOBBLER" nor "CALIFORNIA" was > listed anywhere in the virus list. Then I went to the "hoax" page. Guess > what?! Yup, it's a genuine HOAX. Below is an exact copy of the page for > "WOBBLER": > > **********(Web Page from McAfee (NAI))********** > > Virus Hoax Center > > McAfee.com : Support > > Wobbler Hoax > > 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. > > "Thought you might be interested in this > message. If you > receive an email with a file called "California" > do not open > the file. The file contains the "WOBBLER" virus. > > > "This information was announced yesterday > morning by IBM. > The report says that ..."This is a very > dangerous virus, much > worse than "Melissa" and there is NO remedy for > it at this > time. Some very sick individual has succeeded in > using the > reformat function from Norton Utilities causing > it to > completely erase all documents on the hard > drive. It has > been designed to work with Netscape Navigator > and Microsoft > Internet Explorer. It destroys Macintosh and IBM > compatible > computers. This is a new, very malicious virus > and not many > people know about it at this time. > > "Please pass this warning to everyone in your > address book > and share it with all your online friends ASAP > so that the > destruction it can cause may be minimized." > __________________________________ > - This is the end of the email message - > > Again if you receive this email delete the it > and DO NOT pass > it on > > AVERT > A Division of NAI Labs > > **********(End of Web Page from McAfee (NAI))********** > > I know many new users are fooled by these things, and think they are doing > a good deed; but.....they fall into the trap that the originator of the > HOAX intended for them to fall into -- to clog up the net with junk and > then the perpetrators can sit back and laugh at their cleverness. Folks, > it's NOT cleverness nor intelligence, it's just pure old, plain & simple, > BADNESS!!!!! > If you want to put a fancy socially correct name on it, it's "a lack of > social consciousness". > > "D", please don't think I am "getting on you". You just didn't know > better. To tell you the truth, it flashed through my mind to pass it on > to friends of mine. Then Rule Nr. 1 took over: "Pass on NOTHING via > email or the Net/Web until it has been checked out." That has saved my > hide more than once. > > I have a multitude of URL addresses for various Virus/Hoax/Myth web sites, > but you can easily verify ANY new virus (or hoax/myth) by checking with > the McAfee website, www.mcafee.com. > > Regards, > SgtGeorge > George W. Durman > Knoxville, TN > (Listowner of several Mailing Lists at Rootsweb and a PROUD Rootsweb > Donor.) > > **********(Original Message)********** > > > At 12:03 AM 6/26/99 , dholt wrote: > > > >-----Original Message----- > >Date: 25 June 1999 15:17 > >Subject: FW: "California Virus" > >>Subject: "California Virus" > >>Importance: High NOT A HOAX!!! > >>FYI > >>Thought I would pass this along to you. Did not know whether you know > >about it or not. WARNING: If you receive an email with a file called "California", do > not open the file. The file contains the WOBBLER virus. This information > >was announced yesterday morning from IBM; AOL states that this is a very > >>dangerous virus, much worse than "Melissa", and that there is NO remedy > > >for > >>it at this time. Some very sick individual has succeeded in using the > >>reformat function from Norton Utilities causing it to completely erase > >all > >>documents on the hard drive. It has been designed to work with Netscape > >>Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer. It destroys Macintosh and > IBM > >>compatible computers. This is a new, very malicious virus and not many > >>people know about it. Pass this warning along to EVERYONE in your > address > >>book and please share it with all your online friends ASAP so that this > >>threat may be stopped. ----- Original Message ----- From: Carl and Vickie Weese <cdweese@gwtc.net> To: <WISE-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, June 29, 1999 5:19 PM Subject: Fw: Virus alert > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Debby Epperly <debepperly@yahoo.com> > To: Geri Ellis-Gourley <n5blj@aol.com> > Sent: Tuesday, June 29, 1999 4:24 PM > Subject: Fwd: Virus alert > > --- Ken Gerdes <Ken@Guardianmfg.com> wrote: > > > From: Ken Gerdes <Ken@Guardianmfg.com> > > > Subject: Virus alert > > > Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 13:11:58 -0400 > > > To: GEN-NEWBIE-L@rootsweb.com > > > > > > Just got this posting ............ > > > > > > Ken Gerdes > > > ken@guardianmfg.com > > > Melbourne, FL > > > > > > ========================