Virus threat.

[TonyBlenk]

Sorry if this has been posted already (I can't locate it).

You should be alert and vigilant when opening emails during the next few days.
DO NOT OPEN ANY MESSAGE WITH AN ATTACHED FILE CALLED 'INVITATION' regardless who sent it even though it could be from a friend, family or contact.

It is a VIRUS that opens an Olympic Torch which 'burns' the whole of your hard disc C of your computer. This virus will be received from someone who has your email address in their contact list. Therefore, we ask that you send this message 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', even though it is sent by a friend etc, DO NOT OPEN IT. Delete 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. It was discovered by Mcafee yesterday, and there is no repair or solution for it yet.

This virus simply destroys the zero sector of the Hard Disc, where all your vital information is stored.

[kokomo]

Thanks for the information Tony, I am sure we will all keep our eyes open for this.

[wrpac00]

Its a hoax, see below:-

Type
Virus hoax
Description
This hoax has been distributed across the internet. The report is untrue, and the email can be safely deleted.

The text of the hoax reads as follows:

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.

Important
Many virus hoaxes:

falsely claim to describe an extremely dangerous virus
use pseudo-technical language to make impressive-sounding (but impossible) claims
falsely claim that the report was issued or confirmed by a well-known company
ask you to forward it to all your friends and colleagues
As usual, you are urged not to pass on warnings of this kind, as the continued re-forwarding of these hoaxes simply wastes time and email bandwidth.

It is possible that you may receive a hoax via email with a file attached. Obviously, such file attachments should be treated with caution as they may be virus infected. Sophos recommends deleting virus hoax emails, whether they contain file attachments or not.

Sophos suggests a policy to help prevent hoaxes from spreading in your company

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

It's a hoax...see http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/olympic.torch.hoax.html

[wrpac00]

Must have been researching at the same time John[msnwink]

[markandpam]

Its always worth going to the Symantec website and checking these things out. I've had a couple of "false" warnings in the past and they have always had the details about them on their website.

Pam.

[kokomo]

Thank goodness for that.

[wrpac00]

That's sound advice Pam, that's what I do nowadays.

[ShirleyD]

Me too Paul, I'm afraid I am a kill joy who doesn't send this stuff on anymore, especially the ones that promise good or bad luck

[jackie greaves]

Haven't these people got anything better to do with their sad little lives[msnmad]

[wrpac00]

In a word NO.