From: Alan Olsen <alano@teleport.com>
Date: Sun, 1 Sep 1996 16:35:20 +0800
To: kickboxer <charlee@netnet.net>
Subject: Re: WARNING vIRuS!
Message-ID: <3.0b11.32.19960831234035.00b1f6cc@mail.teleport.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


At 11:21 AM 8/31/96 -0500, kickboxer  ingnoring the "clueserver refused by
host" messages wrote:
>        There is a new and VERY dangerous virus called the HAZ-MAT virus!
>it fucks up the sectors on your hd, and really messes up the partition
>tables.  It does this once a week, picking a random time to do it.  99.9% of
>virus scanners and other antivirus programs will not recognize it, for it is
>a totally new strain, using a never before seen code.... Be warned!  The
>HAZ-MAT virus usually resides in JPG, and GIF files... once the files are
>viewed, the virus takes effect.
>scan all images upon download!

This is the clueless kind of crap I expect pitched to AOL users and upper
level management.

GIF and JPEGs contain *NO* executable code.  You cannot get viruses from
them.  You obviously have no clue as to what the hell you are talking about.

The only way that you could obtain the effects described above is with Black
Magic and/or Voodoo.  (And not even then.)

I remember a similar hoax going around about 3-4 years ago about viruses in
image files.  I guess nothing on the net is ever forgotten entirely.
Especially the urban legends and bullshit.
---
|  "Remember: You can't have BSDM without BSD." - alan@ctrl-alt-del.com  |
|"The moral PGP Diffie taught Zimmermann unites all| Disclaimer:         |
| mankind free in one-key-steganography-privacy!"  | Ignore the man      |
|`finger -l alano@teleport.com` for PGP 2.6.2 key  | behind the keyboard.|
|         http://www.teleport.com/~alano/          | alano@teleport.com  |