important - concerning a new computer virus

[Tomoko Wakabayashi]

Just for your information-- since this is a timely topic in our family
right now.

My father's computer recently got a virus through an attachment sent by
somebody he KNOWS.  It seems to be a famous one, called "Happy 1999."  As
soon as he opened the attachment, a firework came up on his screen. Once
you get it, this virus automatically gets attached to every e-mail you
send.  Thus, you will be sending viruses to people without your knowing
about it. I don't know the details concerning what "Happy 1999" does to
your computer besides this, but it is worth a caution not to
open any attachment by this name, or, according to my father, any which
ends with .exe or .con.

Tomoko Wakabayashi

On Sat, 13 Mar 1999, Catherine Crain-Thoreson wrote:

> I am amazed that this hoax keeps going around and around, though it does
> change a little.  Last year, it was Microsoft who supposedly endorsed it,
> now it's supposedly IBM.  It is *impossible* for an email message to erase
> your hard drive.  My department has warned us that there are some new
> viruses that you have to watch out for in attachments to email messages,
> though. What I've been told is not to open an email with an attachment
> unless you know the sender.  Perhaps I'll find out that this is this an
> urban legend as well --
>
> Always be wary of any message that says "very important -- forward to
> everyone you know," it is the recipe for SPAM.
>
> Catherine Crain-Thoreson
>
> At 01:44 AM 3/13/99 +0200, ALEK & NINA wrote:
> >Subject: VERY VERY IMPORTANT
> >
> >If you receive an email titled "It Takes Guts to Say
> >'Jesus'" DO NOT open it. It will erase everything on your hard drive. Forward
> >this letter out to as many people as you can. This is a new, very malicious
> >virus and not many people know about it. This information was announced
> yesterday morning
> >from IBM; please share it with everyone that might access the internet
> >
> >
>
>
>
> ************************************
> Catherine Crain-Thoreson, Ph.D.
> Psychology Department
> Western Washington University
> Bellingham, WA 98225-9089
>
> Tel: (360) 650-3168
> Fax: (360) 650-7305
> email: thoreson at cc.wwu.edu
>
>