Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id RAA01263 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Thu, 31 May 2001 17:36:40 +0100 Message-Id: <3.0.1.32.20010531183527.0068ab6c@agner.org> X-Sender: metascience@agner.org X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Light Version 3.0.1 (32) Date: Thu, 31 May 2001 18:35:27 +0200 To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk From: Metascience <metascience@agner.org> Subject: Re: Email virus spreads memetically; damages with autoimmune response In-Reply-To: <Pine.LNX.4.21.0105301624030.30892-100000@boojiboy.eorbit.n et> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
This one is extremely virulent. I have watched it spread through three
steps in just a few hours here in Denmark today (May 31). Each step
involved a multiplication by a factor 30 - 50.
A friend called me on the phone a few hours ago, very alarmed, and asked me
what to do about this virus. He was somewhat suspicious, that's why he
called me for advise. It took me only a few minutes of research to confirm
his suspicions, but alas, he had allready forwarded it to more than 50 people.
At 16:27 30-05-01 -0700, you wrote:
>
>Just got this URL forwarded to me about an email virus that spreads
>memetically (by which I mean that it just persuades people to forward it,
>rather than executing code on the receiving machine that causes it to be
>spread) but that, unlike any other examples of memetically-spreading email
>viruses I'm aware of, may do damage to the recipient's machine by provoking
>the recipient to delete an important system file that the email labels as a
>dangerous virus. Sneaky!
>
>http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/pf/sulfnbk.exe.warning.html
>
>
>===============================================================
>This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
>Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
>For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing)
>see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
>
=============================================
M. Schwartz, Ph.D.
Metascience@agner.org
===============================================================
This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing)
see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
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