From: drogo@labyrinth.net
Subject: Re: (dragon-oper) Virus Warning..
Date: 30 Apr 1997 09:58:29 -0400

I digested this message from Snipper at 09:59 AM 8/30/97 +0100:
>Hi there ,
>I use irc and the company i work for last night issued an internal 
>warning about new viruses that they have been warned about from IBM.
>
>These come as e-mails and are named "JOIN THE CREW" and           
>   "PENPAL GREETINGS"
>These viruses delete your hard drive if opened and also automatically 
>forward themselves to anyone whos email address is in your mailbox..

	This is entirely false.  This is only a virus in the sense that
people distribute a warning someone created as a joke.  Viruses
cannot be passed as emailed text.  The only, *only* way to receive
a virus via email is in the form of an executable attachment which
you must then execute (.exe file for example), the same way (and
only way) viruses can effect your machine.  You can never get a
virus simply from opening an email and reading it.

	The "PENPAL GREETINGS", "JOIN THE CREW" and "GOOD TIMES" warning
have been floating around for the last two years.  There has not
been one report of anyone actually getting a virus related to it.
The actual email with those subject headers do not even exist, only
the warnings such as you sent out do.  They were all designed as a
joke warning, to see just how far people would take it.

	I would sincerely hope that IBM would realize this before
spreading such material.  Please inform your company that there is
no virus relating to those subject headers, and the only think they
are doing is helping to spread a distasteful joke.

Jeff

drogo@labyrinth.net
Drogo on DALnet #mIRC (drogo@dal.net)
PGP Public Key Available at http://www.labs.net/drogo/pgp/pgp.html