tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Dec 07 16:36:03 1994
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AOL Virus INFO
Well, just after I sent that last note verifying the AOL virus to you all, I
found this little tidbit on the main screen in AOL. Just to give the Admin
here at AOL a fair shake, I'll let you read their words firsthand:
Dear Member:
We have received several inquiries over the last couple of days regarding a
rumored "virus" in an email message entitled "Good Times." We thought it
would be best to briefly explain how the mail system works, and what we know
about the rumored piece of email.
As background, AOL incorporates virus protection throughout the service and
scans all posted software, text, and sound files in public areas.
We have never had an occurence of a virus being spread through simply reading
email. It is possible, however, for an attached file to an email to carry a
virus that could cause a problem. We cannot scan files in email for viruses
as we do with files in public areas of the service since email represents
private electronic communication. In order for the virus to spread to your
computer, you would have to proactively select the attached file and download
it to your hard drive. It is therefore advisable never to download attached
files from an unknown sender.
While there has been quite a bit of rumor regarding this "Good Times" piece
of mail, AOL has not been able to confirm a single incident of a subscriber
receiving this mail, or any subscriber getting a virus through e-mail. Given
the nature of the rumor, if you do receive mail entitled "Good Times", we
would advise that you avoid downloading any file that is attached with this
title.
If you ever receive a file in email that you believe could cause problems,
please forward it immediately to TOSADVISOR, and explain your concerns.
Meanwhile we will keep you posted should we receive any additional
information.
Warm Regards,
America Online