BreakTheChain.org
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Why'd You Have to be So Complicated?Date Added: Jan. 17, 2003
This chain is a perfect example of why you shouldn't rely on forwarded e-mail warnings to protect your PC from viruses. The threat is real, but this warning is all wrong. Dear Friends, I'm warning you about the newest virus to appear it is the Avril Lavigne Virus, from what i ahve been told, It is sent to you via email, it shows various pictures of the Singer, and if you click on those pictures it gets in, The vrius is called the newest Lirva worm, My understanding of that virus has the capability to eat your entire C drive a major corporation had the virus and it almost destroyed the company their experts were able to get rid of it before it did too much, i will include more information about this and on what it is and how to protect it along of how it has invade Avril Lavigne, the inclosed link will show you all the information i could about it, http://tech.msn.com/IP/msnart3000.asp this will start you and there are other links on the page that will bring you to more information about the virus and how to protect it, if you have any problems with the link let me know. and remember BE CAREFUL, I also know some of the news stations and radio stations are reporting on the topic keep an hear to those as well i will try to keep you informed if i hear anymore details about this virus Though it is based in fact, this misinformed and poorly written warning should not be forwarded to anyone. The author is obviously not a computer security expert and has had no direct contact with the worm. The letter is based on hearsay and makes a lot of false assumptions. There are better warnings circulating, but they all miss the point. On January 6, 2003, virus experts identified a new worm that poses as a warning message from Microsoft or as a message to fans of popular singer Avril Lavigne. The worm, called "Lirva" (Avril spelled backwards - Clever, huh?), spreads via e-mail, networks, IRC, ICQ or peer-to-peer file sharing programs (like Kazaa and LimeWire). When activated, Lirva causes your computer to automatically login to the Avril Lavigne web site on the 7th, 14th and 21st of each month. It also steals passwords stored in your web browser and disables antivirus software. What the Lirva virus cannot do is "eat your entire C drive," as the warning above claims, nor has any "major corporation" been taken to the brink of disaster by it. Lirva exploits a security hole in older versions of Microsoft Outlook Express. If Internet Explorer 5.0 or 5.5 is installed on your computer, protect yourself against Lirva by installing this patch. Later versions of IE, as well as other browsers and e-mail programs (like Netscape, Firefox and Thunderbird) are not affected. E-mail virus warnings are no substitute for true protection only anti-virus software provides. Having anti-virus software installed and keeping it updated regularly provides a reliable defense against most viruses and worms. All of the major manufacturers have already issued updates to include protection for Lirva. For more ways to prevent unwanted intrusions on your PC, read Protecting Your PC in the Chain-Breaker's Library. Break this chain. References: Trend Micro, Microsoft |