Yes, there was a whole bunch of "postcard from a
school mate, etc." and those were real viruses.
My favorite was the one that said I had a message
from "a worshipper." About time.

That was NOT the "Invitation" virus. Those were
pretty well vetted at the time; updated virus
software, if you don't have a Mac, will catch
them. If you DO have a Mac you only need virus
software to check attachments you might be
tempted to send to friends who don't; ClamXav is
free for the download for Macs.

That's all the time I have for virus chat; the
fewer attachments you open the safer you'll be,
though you might miss the occasional real
invitation. The main thing is to avoid spreading
Hoax viruses, because they, too, are harmful, in
their own way.

Yours in Transcendental Niceness,
John Mayer

At 9:43 PM -0500 2/12/08, dreamgardens@... wrote:
>I went back to the site and the postcard from a
>family member was the one I looked at and it is
>a real virus. Now whether it is the most
>insidious ever I couldnt say! Peace Jay
>
>
> On Tue Feb 12 11:57 , John Mayer sent:
>
>>
>>Did you read my entire response? The REAL
>>Snopes page said "an "Olympic Torch" virus
>>warning (also known as the "Invitation virus").
>>[emphasis added] The "most destructive virus
>>ever" line is enough to identify this as a
>>hoax. The REAL Snopes page actually identifies
>>this as the Invitation (aka Olympic Torch, aka
>>Merry Christmas) hoax, with the word
>>"Invitation" first.
>>http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/invitation.asp
>>You'll also note that the wording of the latest
>>hoax warning is almost exactly the same as the
>>earlier one, which has been, as Snopes tells
>>us, circulating for years. The link to the
>>actual Snopes site is in the paragraph above.
>>You can click on it, or to be more certain, you
>>can go directly to the Snopes site - just do a
>>search - and use their search engine to find
>>the "Invitation" hoax. I seem to have already
>>discarded the original letter, but the hoaxster
>>can attach a link to any page he wants; spoof
>>letters often do this to direct the unwary to
>>webpages that look very much like that of
>>PayPal or some other online business to get you
>>to reveal to them your bank account numbers,
>>passwords and the like. Since I can't go back
>>and check this URL I don't know if this was a
>>spoof page or if, instead, it was just a link
>>to some actual virus. You can also actually
>>CHECK the McAfee page where you will find no
>>frantic warnings of "the most destructive virus
>>ever." Here are the REAL viruses that are of
>>current concern: VBS/Autorun.worm
>>VBS/Autorun.worm.auExploit-PDF.b
>>Phish-MSUpdate.eml.fExploit-PDF.a W32/Virut.j
>>No mention of a "most destructive ever"
>>Invitation virus. In fact, they also have a
>>hoax virus page; I've added their debunking of
>>the original version of this hoax at the
>>bottom. As I said, I've already deleted the
>>original letter, but you'll notice the text is
>>almost the same, with just a few changes
>>including renaming the virus. McAfee makes
>>these comments about hoax viruses: Virus
>>HoaxesThere are a lot of viruses out there. But
>>some aren't really out there at all. Virus
>>hoaxes are more than mere annoyances, as they
>>may lead some users to routinely ignore all
>>virus warning messages, leaving them vulnerable
>>to a genuine, destructive virus. Next time you
>>receive an urgent virus warning message, be
>>sure to check the list of known virus hoaxes
>>below.Remember: Never open an email attachment
>>unless you know what it is-even if it's from
>>someone you know and trust.That is to say,
>>always double check. Unless you have a Mac;
>>then you can pretty much relax. It just so
>>happens I got an actual invitation the same
>>week I got this warning and, if I'd taken it to
>>heart, I'd have missed a chance to get together
>>with some good friends.At any rate, if this is
>>"the most destructive virus ever" and if, in
>>fact, McAfee warns there is "no repair yet for
>>this kind of virus, then we can expect to see
>>news reports of the destruction wrought by it,
>>as we do all major viruses. Let's just see,
>>shall we?
> >On Feb 12, 2008, at 9:27 AM,
>dreamgardens@... wrote:Hello,The warning
>I got had nothing to do with olympic torches but
>with postcards and invitations. I actually went
>to the snopes site and it is indeed real. Jay
>>
>> On Mon Feb 11 13:11 , John Mayer sent:
>>
>>Thanks for trying to help your friends, Chi
>>Chen, but no... it's not real. This is the same
>>Olympic Torch hoax that's been circulating
>>since the LAST summer olympics; I guess it's
>>appropriate once again with another Olympics on
>>the way. One clue that this is hoax is the
>>following excerpt:On Feb 11, 2008, at 6:41 AM,
>>Chi-Chen Cheng wrote:This is the worst virus
>>announced by CNN. It has been classified by
>>Microsoft as the most destructive virus ever.
>>This is an effort by the hoaxsters to stir
>>recipients to action; ALL hoax viruses are the
>>worst ever. One way to check whether this has
>>REALLY been vetted by Snopes is to go to Snopes
>>and see; not click on a link in the same hoax
>>letter. This link looks real, alright, but it
>>directly contradicts what Snopes says if you go
>>straight to Snopes home page and look for this
>>virus. If I'd taken this seriously I'd have
>>missed an invitation to a Valentine's Day
>>party. So even "harmless" hoaxes can do harm.
>>Happily, I don't have to worry about viruses; I
>>have a Mac.Here's what Snopes REALLY says:
>>
>>
>> Home --> Computers --> Virus Hoaxes &
>>Realities --> Invitation/Olympic Torch Virus
>>Invitation/Olympic Torch VirusVirus:
>>Invitation (aka Olympic Torch, aka Merry
>>Christmas) Status: Hoax. Examples:
>>[Collected via e-mail, 2006] WARNING You should
>>be alert during the next days: Do not open any
>>message with an attached filed called
>>"Invitation" regardless of who sent it. It is a
>>virus
>> that opens an Olympic Torch 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,
>>that is why you should send this e-mail to all
>>your contacts. It is better to receive this
>>message 25 times than to receive the virus and
>>open it. If you receive a mail called
>>"invitation", though sent by a friend, do not
>>open it and 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. SEND
>>THIS E-MAIL TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW, COPY THIS
>>E-MAIL AND SEND IT TO YOUR FRIENDS AND
>>REMEMBER: IF YOU SEND IT TO THEM, YOU WILL
>>BENEFIT ALL OF US
>>
>>[Collected via e-mail, November 2007] VIRUS
>>ALERT!! You should be alert during the next
>>days: Do not open any message with an attached
>>file called "Merry Christmas" regardless of who
>>sent it, It is a virus that opens as an Open
>>Log Fire and will burn the whole hard disc in
>>your computer. This virus will be received from
>>someone who has your e-mail address in his/her
>>contact list, that is why you should send this
>>e-mail to all your contacts. It is better to
>>receive this message 25 times than to receive
>>the virus and open it. If you receive a mail
>>called "Merry Christmas", though sent by a
>>friend, do not open it and shut down your
>>computer immediately. This is the worst virus
>>announced, 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
>>Origins: The classics never go away, it
>>seems, so just in time for the 2006 Winter
>>Olympics someone has dusted off an old virus
>>warning hoax (most commonly seen in its
>>incarnation as the "[Virtual] Card for You"
>>hoax) and reintroduced it as an "Olympic Torch"
>>virus warning (also known as the "Invitation
>>virus"). The bottom line is that this same
>>basic hoax has been circulating in various
>>languages since at least 2000, with occasional
>>changes along the way. No such (incurable)
>>virus exists, has been identified by McAfee, or
>>was reported on by CNN. The 2007 "Merry
>>Christmas" variant of the Invitation/Olympic
>>Torch hoax should not be confused with the
>>(real) Zafi.D worm from 2004, which did spread
>>via attachments to messages bearing subject
>>lines of "Merry Christmas" but is now rare and
>>easily caught and eliminated by most anti-virus
>>software products. Additional information:
> > A Virtual Card for You Hoax (McAfee) Last
>updated: 27 November 2007 The URL for this
>page is
>http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/invitation.aspUrban
>Legends Reference Pages © 1995-2008by Barbara
>and David P. Mikkelson This material may not be
>reproduced without permission.
>> Top 2008 Antivirus Review Compare Top
>>Antivirus Software. Read Reviews & Compare
>>Ratings. StarReviews.com Virus Removal The
>>Ultimate Guide for Virus Removal
>>VirusesRemoval.com
>>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. McAfee AVERT has not received any
>>report of a user's hard drive being erased for
>>opening the email.The Olympic Torch Hoax first
>>surfaced in February, 2006, just days before
>>the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Winter
>>Games in Turin.It is a slightly revised version
>>of a virus hoax circulating since 2000, known
>>as "A Virtual Card for You " or "Destroys
>>Sector Zero " 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.Please read the attached
>>warning issued today.PLEASE FORWARD THIS
>>WARNING AMONG FRIENDS, FAMILY AND CONTACTS:You
>>should be alert during the next days:Do not
>>open any message with an attached filed called
>>"Invitation" regardless of who sent it .It is a
>>virus that opens an Olympic Torch 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,
>>that is why you should send this e-mail to all
>>your contacts. It is better to receive this
>>message 25 times than to receive the virus and
>>open it.If you receive a mail called
>>"invitation", though sent by a friend, do not
>>open it and 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.SEND
>>THIS E-MAIL TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW, COPY THIS
>>E-MAIL AND SEND IT TO YOUR FRIENDS AND
>>REMEMBER: IF YOU SEND IT TO THEM, YOU WILL
>>BENEFIT ALL OF US.
>
>
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