Marlborough Mesa

Below is an email that was sent out to all neighbors who have given me their email address.  Apparently there are some things in there that are not quite true.  Please go to the following websites and read for yourself:

From Marvin: 

www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/a/a-card-for-you.htm

www.urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_postcard_virus.htm

http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_postcard_virus.htm

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Good Afternoon Marlborough Neighbors,

This is a message sent by a neighbor, Glenn Pierce, RealtorR, e-PRO from John Hall & Associates:

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I checked with Norton Anti-Virus, and they are gearing up for this virus!  I checked snopes.com, and it is for real!!  You can check: http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/postcard.asp and for the variations that are included ... Hallmark cards, etc., etc., etc.

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,' 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.

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.

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I went to the Snopes website and this is 1 scary virus!  Thanks, Glenn for sending.

Alma

Part of this warning is correct, but another part is wrong. There is a real virus (worm actually) that is being propogated by tricking people into viewing a malicious greeting card online. Snopes verifies that.

If you read the part at the bottom of the Snopes item carefully, you'll see they say the information about Microsoft and McAffee sending out warnings about this worm destroying hard drives is a hoax. The part about it getting past a patched and up-to-date computer is also wrong.

First, the worm can only infect Windows computers. Second, a well-maintained Windows computer (2000, XP or Vista) that has all MS updates installed and a current anti-virus program will not have a problem with the worm in its current form.

This particular postcard attack began last summer. For a couple of weeks, I recall getting four or five e-mails every day to view e-cards sent mostly by people I'd never heard of. Never respond to those, even if your computer is fully updated.

Now, the fact that this worm doesn't wipe out your hard drive does not make it harmless. If you have a Windows computer connected to the internet, and it hasn't been getting the updates from Microsoft, there's a fair chance you already have this worm on your computer. That makes your computer a menace to society and a potential tool for criminals, pornographers and terrorists.

Once your computer gets it, this worm is tough to remove. The anti-virus companies like Symantec have instructions on how to tell whether you have a particular virus or worm and what to do about it.

If you're saying to yourself, "I just don't understand any of this. What should I do?" the best advice I can think of is to start by getting all the latest updates from Microsoft. I'm no fan of Microsoft products, but if you're running Windows, you really need to be up to date.

You might be getting the updates automatically without realizing it. If not, you'll need to do it manually. The method for doing that varies, depending on whether you have XP, Vista or an older version. If you have a friend or family member who knows computers, ask them to help you make sure you're updated.

For more help, I can recommend visiting http://www.komando.com. She seems to have good advice written in a form that's relatively easy to understand. 

Hi Neighbors!

Alma posted some links I sent her regarding this message that you can click on. 

 I completely agree with the very excellent message provided by another neighbor which gives some fine advice regarding keeping one's software and anti-virus programs up-to-date.  Anyone that uses a computer and the Internet needs to be diligent to avoid disasters and playing into the hands of less than honorable individuals.  If you feel overwhelmed, don't panic!  Just ask for help.  There are plenty of your neighbors that would be happy to help. 

The bottom line, however, before forwarding messages, is to check if it is a hoax.  I found the sites posted previously simply by entering in a Google search the key words "postcard virus."  I learned almost immediately that the message is a hoax and has been around for a while. 

Happy computing!