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| The hoax warns of a virus that can spread via
Yahoo Instant Messenger software. |
Experts at Sophos have warned users of a new hoax spreading
between users of Yahoo instant messenger service, warning them of a
non-existent virus.
The Yahoo instant
message hoax (also known as "Hard drive killer") warns users of
Yahoo's instant message service to be wary of a fellow user
contacting them. The hoax claims that their computers will be
infected by "a very horrible" virus and passed on to instant
messenger contacts. Sophos is receiving an increasing number of
reports of the hoax from users who are concerned it may be genuine.
It has also been seen distributed via email and posted on internet
messageboards.
"The warning is clearly nonsense and no such virus exists," said
Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos Anti-Virus.
"However, hoaxes and chain letters like this are not harmless -
they waste time and bandwidth, and can be a genuine headache for
support departments. Users need to consider carefully whether
everything they are told can be believed."
A typical version of the hoax message reads as follows:
If somebody by name dvorak@yahoo.com adds you. dont accept
it. Its a virus. Tell everyone on ur bulletin because if somebody
on ur list adds them, u get the virus too. Tell everyone on your
list not to open anything from angell11, tewwtuler, and sassybitch.
It is a hard drive killer and a very horrible virus. pass this
letter to everyone on your buddy list. We need to find out who is
really using these accounts. Sorry for the inconvienience.
Sincerely, Director of Yahoo Services, tanwir2001.
Right click on the group name of your buddy list and click Send
Message to All
"Hoaxes like this exist because it's so easy to forward an
electronic warning to all of your friends and colleagues, and many
people who may be suspicious of the the veracity of the warning
decide it's better to be safe than sorry." continued Cluley.
"People should think very carefully before they send a message on
to all of their contacts, as they may be perpetuating an irritating
hoax. You should always check to see if it is believable, and not a
known hoax, before even considering sending it onto other computer
users."
Sophos has made available a free, constantly updated information feed for intranets and
websites which means users can always find out about the latest
viruses and hoaxes.
More than 100 million users in 150 countries rely on Sophos as the best protection against complex threats and data loss. Sophos is committed to providing security and data protection solutions that are simple to manage, deploy and use and that deliver the industry's lowest total cost of ownership. Sophos offers award-winning encryption, endpoint security, web, email, and network access control solutions backed by SophosLabs - a global network of threat intelligence centers. With more than two decades of experience, Sophos is regarded as a leader in security and data protection by top analyst firms and has received many industry awards.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.