>> A virus is circulating on the Internet. If you receive a message with
>> the header "xxx-1" DO NOT READ IT. Delete immediately or your disk will
>> require treatment by a virus-scanner. I have had two copies of this
>> message this morning (Sunday) already, but was warned by an early
>> morning phone call from a friend who got hit.
>>************************************************************************
>>>This crossed my virtual desk this afternoon. Does anyone have more info?
>>>>>>>>> Somebody is sending e-mail under the title "good times". If you get
>>>>>anything
>>>>>> like this, DON'T DOWNLOAD THE FILE! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! It has a
>>virus that
>>>>>> rewrites your hard drive, and you lose anything on your hard
>>drive. Pleas
>>e
>>>>>> be careful and forward this mail to anyone you care about!
>Date: Tue, 6 Dec 1994 15:23:09 -0800
>Message-Id: <199412062302.PAA23885 at cheetah.llnl.gov>
>Reply-To: karyn at cheetah.llnl.gov>Originator: ciac-notes at cheetah.llnl.gov>Sender: ciac-notes at cheetah.llnl.gov>From: Karyn Pichnarczyk <karyn at cheetah.llnl.gov>
>Subject: CIAC Notes 94-04
>>> U.S. DOE's Computer Incident Advisory Capability
> ___ __ __ _ ___ __ __ __ __ __
> / | /_\ / |\ | / \ | |_ /_
> \___ __|__ / \ \___ | \| \__/ | |__ __/
>>Number 94-04 December 6, 1994
>> ------------------- A - T - T - E - N - T - I - O - N -------------------
>| CIAC is available 24-hours a day via its two skypage numbers. To use |
>| this service, dial 1-800-759-7243. The PIN numbers are: 8550070 (for |
>| the CIAC duty person) and 8550074 (for the CIAC manager). Please keep |
>| these numbers handy. |
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>Welcome to the fourth issue of CIAC Notes! This is a special edition to
>clear up recent reports of a "good times" virus-hoax. Let us know if you
>have topics you would like addressed or have feedback on what is useful and
>what is not. Please contact the editor, Allan L. Van Lehn, CIAC,
>510-422-8193 or send E-mail to ciac at llnl.gov.>> $-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$
> $ Reference to any specific commercial product does not necessarily $
> $ constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation or favoring by $
> $ CIAC, the University of California, or the United States Government.$
> $-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$
>>THE "Good Times" VIRUS IS AN URBAN LEGEND
>>In the early part of December, CIAC started to receive information requests
>about a supposed "virus" which could be contracted via America OnLine, simply
>by reading a message. The following is the message that CIAC received:
>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>| Here is some important information. Beware of a file called Goodtimes. |
>| |
>| Happy Chanukah everyone, and be careful out there. There is a virus on |
>| America Online being sent by E-Mail. If you get anything called "Good |
>| Times", DON'T read it or download it. It is a virus that will erase your |
>| hard drive. Forward this to all your friends. It may help them a lot. |
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>THIS IS A HOAX. Upon investigation, CIAC has determined that this message
>originated from both a user of America Online and a student at a university
>at approximately the same time, and it was meant to be a hoax.
>>CIAC has also seen other variations of this hoax, the main one is that any
>electronic mail message with the subject line of "xxx-1" will infect your
>computer.
>>This rumor has been spreading very widely. This spread is due mainly to the
>fact that many people have seen a message with "Good Times" in the header.
>They delete the message without reading it, thus believing that they have
>saved themselves from being attacked. These first-hand reports give a false
>sense of credibility to the alert message.
>>There has been one confirmation of a person who received a message with
>"xxx-1" in the header, but an empty message body. Then, (in a panic, because
>he had heard the alert), he checked his PC for viruses (the first time he
>checked his machine in months) and found a pre-existing virus on his machine.
> He incorrectly came to the conclusion that the E-mail message gave him the
>virus (this particular virus could NOT POSSIBLY have spread via an E-mail
>message). This person then spread his alert.
>>As of this date, there are no known viruses which can infect merely through
>reading a mail message. For a virus to spread some program must be executed.
>Reading a mail message does not execute the mail message. Yes, Trojans have
>been found as executable attachments to mail messages, the most notorious
>being the IBM VM Christmas Card Trojan of 1987, also the TERM MODULE Worm
>(reference CIAC Bulletin B-7) and the GAME2 MODULE Worm (CIAC Bulletin B-12).
> But this is not the case for this particular "virus" alert.
>>If you encounter this message being distributed on any mailing lists, simply
>ignore it or send a follow-up message stating that this is a false rumor.
>>Karyn Pichnarczyk
>CIAC Team
>ciac at llnl.gov>>>------------------------------
>Contacting CIAC
>>If you require additional assistance or wish to report a vulnerability, call
>CIAC at 510-422-8193, fax messages to 510-423-8002 or send E-mail to
>ciac at llnl.gov. For emergencies and off-hour assistance, call 1-800-SKY-PAGE
>(759-7243) and enter PIN number 8550070 (primary) or 8550074 (secondary).
>The CIAC Duty Officer, a rotating responsibility, carries the primary
>skypager. The Project Leader carries the secondary skypager. If you are
>unable to contact CIAC via phone, please use the skypage system.
>>------------------------------
>This document was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of
>the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor the
>University of California nor any of their employees, makes any warranty,
>express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the
>accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product,
>or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately
>owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial products, process,
>or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not
>necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation or favoring
>by the United States Government or the University of California. The views
>and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect
>those of the United States Government or the University of California, and
>shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes.
>>------------------------------
>End of CIAC Notes Number 94-04 94_12_06
>****************************************
