(11/12/2002) The Bud Frog screen saver went into circulation in 1997, and the hoax about it containing a virus followed shortly after, making it one of the longest-running e-mail hoaxes out there.
SAMPLE CHAIN LETTER TEXT
READ IMMEDIATELY AND PASS ON TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW
Someone is sending out a very cute screensaver of the Budweiser Frogs.
If you download it, you will lose everything! Your hard drive will crash and someone from the Internet will get your screen name and password! DO NOT DOWNLOAD IT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!
It just went into circulation yesterday. Please distribute this message.This is a new, very malicious virus and not many people know about it. This information was announced yesterday morning from Microsoft. Please share it with everyone that might access the Internet.
Once again, Pass This Along To EVERYONE in your address book so that this may be stopped. AOL has said that this is a very dangerous virus and that there is NO remedy for it at this time.
This is VERY important. If you receive a screen saver from a friend or anyone you may not know with the Budweiser Frogs in it, DO NOT DOWNLOAD IT OR OPEN THE FILE!
Press the forward button on your email program and send this notice to EVERYONE you know. Let's keep our email safe for everyone.
END CHAIN LETTER TEXT
The Bud Frogs virus warning is one of the oldest hoaxes out there, so it should be no surprise that it fits the profile almost perfectly. Here are just a few of the signs that it is a hoax:
It threatens that your hard drive will be irreparably damaged and somebody will steal your username and password. These are the two biggest fears of inexperienced Internet users.
It gives vague references to "yesterday," but has no date to let you know when "yesterday" was. In reality, this hoax has been around since at least 1998, possibly earlier.
It claims that the information was released from Microsoft and that AOL calls it "very dangerous". Microsoft and AOL aren't virus authorities and do not release information about viruses. Companies that might do this are Symantec, McAfee, and Network Associates, but do you know those names as well as you do Microsoft and AOL? Name recognition is important in a hoax to make it last a long time.
It reiterates several times that the virus is very dangerous and gives you very explicit directions (in all capital letters, to boot) such as "DO NOT DOWNLOAD IT" and "there is NO remedy for it at this time." In reality, anti-virus software manufacturers typically have a fix released within 24 hours of discovering a virus.
It begs you to pass it on to everyone you know.
This warning is not true. In fact some of the text is identical to Win A Holiday and other virus hoaxes. The only logical piece of advice it gives is to not download or open a screensaver, and this tidbit has been added recently. Screensaver files, like any other executable system file, can be infected with a virus. Thus, you should never open any file attachment from anybody unless you were expecting it and know what it contains.
Even when the warnings are real, depending on haphazardly forwarded messages to protect you from e-mail viruses is like hiding behind a cardboard box to protect yourself from a bullet - it's utterly ineffective and gives you a false sense of security. For real ways to prevent unwanted intrusions on your data, read "Protecting Your PC" in the Chain-Breaker's Library.
(11/12/2002) The Bud Frog screen saver went into circulation in 1997, and the hoax about it containing a virus followed shortly after, making it one of the longest-running e-mail hoaxes out there.