Subject: VIRUS WARNING (fwd) TC/Assist received a Fax from Kenneth Nicholson, Technical Services, Moncton
N.B regarding an Internet Virus called "GOOD TIMES". Here is what the Fax stated:
This message originated in Tucson. If you receive a mail message with a subject of "GOOD TIMES", do the following:
The virus originated from America Online and is propagated through the Internet. The FCC recently released a warning concerning a matter of major importance to any regular user of the Internet. Apparently, a new computer virus has been engineered by a user of America Online that is unparalleled in its destructive capability. Other more well known viruses such as Stoned, Airwolf, and Michaelangelo pale in comparison to the prospects of the newest creation by a warped mentality. What makes this virus so terrifying, said the FCC, is the fact that no program needs to be exchanged for a new computer to be infected. It can be spread through the existing Email systems of the Internet. Once a computer is infected, one of several things can happen. If the computer contains a hard drive, it will most likely be destroyed. If the program is not stopped, the computer's processor will be placed in an Nth-complexity infinite binary loop, which can severely damage the processor if left running that way for to long. Unfortunately, most novice computer users will not realize what is happening until it is to late! Luckily, there is one sure means of detecting what is now known as the "GOOD TIMES" virus. It always travels to new computers the same way - in a text Email message with the subject line reading simply "GOOD TIMES". Avoiding infection is easy once the file has been received by - NOT READING IT! The act of loading the file into the mail server's ASCII buffer causes the "GOOD TIMES" mainline program to initialize and execute. The program is highly intelligent - it will send copies of itself to everyone whose Email address is contained in a received-mail file, if it can find one. It will then proceed to trash the computer it is running on.
The bottom line here is - if you receive a file with the subject line "GOOD TIMES", delete it.