Hoax
The following is from a page called: "Urban Legends and Folklore" but I have seen the same information on other hoax busting sites.
The link is
http://urbanlegends.about.com/gi/dy...//vil.mcafee.com/dispVirus.asp?virus_k=98893&
AVERT HOAX Notice!!
McAfee AVERT Labs 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.
"Recently a new virus was discovered that was classified by MICROSOFT
www.microsoft.com and by MCAFEE
www.mcafee.com to be the most damaging of all time! This virus was discovered late yesterday by MCAFEE and still there is no development of a vaccine!
This virus simply writes zeros on the hard drive, where the vital information for the operation of the PC is kept. The virus activates in the following manner:
1. By email it is received with the title 'A VIRTUAL CARD FOR YOU', when opening the message, it sends itself to all in the address list soon...
2. It hangs the machine, forcing the user to reboot the system.
3. AT the moment in which the keys ctrl+alt+del or the RESET button is pressed, it writes zeros to the hard drive making it unusable forever.
By the previous information, please, take precaution with the use of electronic mail and, of course, if you receive an email which you do not know the origin of, simply delete it without opening.
Please, send this message to the most people possible!!!!
In a few hours yesterday, this virus caused panic in New York, according to CNN
www.cnn.com."
Again, if you receive this email delete it and DO NOT pass it on.
McAfee AVERT
