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'Postcard' or 'Postcard from Hallmark' Virus Hoax Netlore Archive: False email alert warns of 'the worst virus ever' circulating in the form of an attachment labeled 'POSTCARD' or 'POSTCARD FROM HALLMARK'
Description: Email hoax
Circulating since: 2000 (this slightly modified version, Feb. 2008)
Status: False, although real e-card viruses resembling this do exist
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Some versions of this hoax claim the information was "verified" on Snopes.com. This is NOT true. What has been verified on Snopes.com is a different e-card virus threat with a similar name.
DO beware of phony "Hallmark" (or other) e-card notices -- they may carry a real virus.
DON'T be confused by the false descriptions below.
"PLEASE FORWARD THIS WARNING AMONG FRIENDS, FAMILY AND CONTACTS!
You should be alert during the next few days. Do not open any message with an attachment entitled 'POSTCARD FROM HALLMARK,' regardless of who sent it to you. It is a virus which opens A POSTCARD IMAGE, which 'burns' the whole hard disc C of your computer. This virus will be received from someone who has your e-mail address in his/her contact list. This is the reason why you need to send this e-mail to all your contacts It is better to receive this message 25 times than to receive the virus and open it.
If you receive a mail called' POSTCARD,' even though sent to you by a friend, do not open it! Shut down your computer immediately.
This is the worst virus announced by CNN. It has been classified by Microsoft as the most destructive virus ever. This virus was discovered by McAfee yesterday, and there is no repair yet for this kind of virus. This virus simply destroys the Zero Sector of the Hard Disc, where the vital information is kept.
COPY THIS E-MAIL, AND SEND IT TO YOUR FRIENDS. REMEMBER: IF YOU SEND IT TO THEM, YOU WILL BENEFIT ALL OF US"
eller på svenska (den jag fick):
"STORT VIRUS PÅ GÅNG!
Läs & vidarebefordra!!
Förmedla till alla dina kontakter snarast!!
Var uppmärksam under de närmaste dagarna: öppna inte några budskap med en bilaga
med titeln'Vykort från HALLMARK'oberoende vem som har skickat det till dig!
Det är ett virus som öppnar en vykorts-bild, som 'bränner' hela C-hårddisken i din dator!
Detta virus kommer att tas emot av någon som har din e-postadress i sin kontaktlista. Det är
anledningen till att du måste meddela alla dina kontakter! Det är bättre att få detta budskap
25 gånger, än att ta emot viruset och öppna det!!
Om du får ett mail kallat POSTCARD, trots att det skickas till dig
från en vän; öppna det inte!! Stäng av datorn omedelbart!!!
Detta är det värsta virus som aviserats av CNN. Det har varit indelade efter Microsoft som den mest
destruktivaviruset någonsin!! Detta virus upptäcktes av McAfee nyligen,
och det finns ingen reparation ännu för denna typ av virus!
Detta virus förstör hårddisken, där vital information hålls!!!
Meddela alla dina vänner.
KOM IHÅG: Om du skickar till dem, kommer du att gynna alla! "
Comments: With so many real viruses in circulation bearing names almost identical to the bogus threats you may read about in hoax messages, it is crucial to know how to distinguish between the real virus threats and the fake ones. Here are a few points to keep in mind:
1. It is true that there are real viruses, trojans, and other malicious programs currently being distributed by means of fake e-card notices.
These malware-containing emails may arrive under any of dozens of possible headers, for example:
• You've received a Hallmark E-Card!
• You've received a postcard from a family member!
• Colleague sent you a postcard from egreetings.com!
• Birthday e-card
They do resemble legitimate notices from e-card companies. This means every user needs to be very careful when dealing with such emails, no matter what the apparent source. Before clicking on any links or attachments in the body of such a message, check to see if you can verify that it came from a legitimate source -- and that isn't always easy. If you can't verify, don't click!
Don't click on links or attachments in e-card notices that arrive anonymously, or from senders whose names you don't recognize.
Don't click on attachments or links that seem suspicious in any other way.
2. Generally speaking, forwarded email warnings such as the 'POSTCARD' alerts above cannot be trusted to provide accurate information.
Read carefully! Try not to confuse hoax warnings with the real thing. Bogus virus alerts often contain links to websites which, at first glance, may seem to confirm the authenticity of the message, but which in fact discuss a completely different matter.
The very message we're discussing happens to be a case in point. Despite the fact that there are real e-card viruses out there, the "POSTCARD" warning above is, in fact, a hoax. It is simply the newest of many variants of a false alert that began circulating several years ago (compare the texts and you'll see what I mean).
Therefore, don't depend on this type of alert for protection, and avoid forwarding such messages to others unless you can confirm with some certainty that the threat they describe is real.
3. Protecting yourself from real virus and trojan threats entails a few simple but critical measures. Follow them religiously:
- Always be very careful concerning which attachments you open and which files you download. If you can't be reasonably sure they are safe, don't open or download them.
- Maintain up-to-date antivirus software on your computer, configure it to detect trojan horses and other malware automatically, and scan for viruses and other threats regularly.
- Always be careful concerning which links you choose to click, especially in messages from anonymous or unfamiliar sources. Clicking on these links can instantly download malicious software onto your computer. Again, if you can't be reasonably sure a link is safe, don't click on it.
See also: "Olympic Torch" Virus Warning, another version of this hoax.
--------------------------------------------------------
Origins: The original "Virtual Card for You" hoax (now often circulated simply as a "A Card for You") has been making the rounds in various languages since at least 2000, with occasional changes to its text along the way. No such (incurable) virus existed, was identified by McAfee, was reported on by CNN, or "caused panic in New York." This warning is, and always has been, a hoax.
NOTE: Readers should take particular care not to confuse the "Virtual Card for You" hoax with the real "Postcard" virus that was spread via e-mailed postcards (or greeting cards) starting in mid-2007. Some of the "Virtual Card for You" warnings contribute to this confusion by including within them a link to http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/virtualcard.asp, our article about the Postcard virus. The one is not the same as the other, even though some of the attempts to fool people would present them as such.
(September 2006 saw the release of W32Heartworm.A, an MSN Instant Messaging network worm that lured IM users into clicking through to an infecting web site with a message claiming to offer "a virtual card for you." However, that version of W32Heartworm.A was spread through Instant Messaging, not via e-mail.)
aja... POÄNGEN ÄR IAF:
Virusvarningen är FAKE
Circulating since: 2000 (this slightly modified version, Feb. 2008)
Status: False, although real e-card viruses resembling this do exist
Some versions of this hoax claim the information was "verified" on Snopes.com. This is NOT true. What has been verified on Snopes.com is a different e-card virus threat with a similar name.
DO beware of phony "Hallmark" (or other) e-card notices -- they may carry a real virus.
DON'T be confused by the false descriptions below.
You should be alert during the next few days. Do not open any message with an attachment entitled 'POSTCARD FROM HALLMARK,' regardless of who sent it to you. It is a virus which opens A POSTCARD IMAGE, which 'burns' the whole hard disc C of your computer. This virus will be received from someone who has your e-mail address in his/her contact list. This is the reason why you need to send this e-mail to all your contacts It is better to receive this message 25 times than to receive the virus and open it.
If you receive a mail called' POSTCARD,' even though sent to you by a friend, do not open it! Shut down your computer immediately.
This is the worst virus announced by CNN. It has been classified by Microsoft as the most destructive virus ever. This virus was discovered by McAfee yesterday, and there is no repair yet for this kind of virus. This virus simply destroys the Zero Sector of the Hard Disc, where the vital information is kept.
COPY THIS E-MAIL, AND SEND IT TO YOUR FRIENDS. REMEMBER: IF YOU SEND IT TO THEM, YOU WILL BENEFIT ALL OF US"
Läs & vidarebefordra!!
Förmedla till alla dina kontakter snarast!!
Var uppmärksam under de närmaste dagarna: öppna inte några budskap med en bilaga
med titeln'Vykort från HALLMARK'oberoende vem som har skickat det till dig!
Det är ett virus som öppnar en vykorts-bild, som 'bränner' hela C-hårddisken i din dator!
Detta virus kommer att tas emot av någon som har din e-postadress i sin kontaktlista. Det är
anledningen till att du måste meddela alla dina kontakter! Det är bättre att få detta budskap
25 gånger, än att ta emot viruset och öppna det!!
Om du får ett mail kallat POSTCARD, trots att det skickas till dig
från en vän; öppna det inte!! Stäng av datorn omedelbart!!!
Detta är det värsta virus som aviserats av CNN. Det har varit indelade efter Microsoft som den mest
destruktivaviruset någonsin!! Detta virus upptäcktes av McAfee nyligen,
och det finns ingen reparation ännu för denna typ av virus!
Detta virus förstör hårddisken, där vital information hålls!!!
Meddela alla dina vänner.
KOM IHÅG: Om du skickar till dem, kommer du att gynna alla! "
1. It is true that there are real viruses, trojans, and other malicious programs currently being distributed by means of fake e-card notices.
These malware-containing emails may arrive under any of dozens of possible headers, for example:
• You've received a Hallmark E-Card!
• You've received a postcard from a family member!
• Colleague sent you a postcard from egreetings.com!
• Birthday e-card
They do resemble legitimate notices from e-card companies. This means every user needs to be very careful when dealing with such emails, no matter what the apparent source. Before clicking on any links or attachments in the body of such a message, check to see if you can verify that it came from a legitimate source -- and that isn't always easy. If you can't verify, don't click!
Don't click on links or attachments in e-card notices that arrive anonymously, or from senders whose names you don't recognize.
Don't click on attachments or links that seem suspicious in any other way.
2. Generally speaking, forwarded email warnings such as the 'POSTCARD' alerts above cannot be trusted to provide accurate information.
Read carefully! Try not to confuse hoax warnings with the real thing. Bogus virus alerts often contain links to websites which, at first glance, may seem to confirm the authenticity of the message, but which in fact discuss a completely different matter.
The very message we're discussing happens to be a case in point. Despite the fact that there are real e-card viruses out there, the "POSTCARD" warning above is, in fact, a hoax. It is simply the newest of many variants of a false alert that began circulating several years ago (compare the texts and you'll see what I mean).
Therefore, don't depend on this type of alert for protection, and avoid forwarding such messages to others unless you can confirm with some certainty that the threat they describe is real.
3. Protecting yourself from real virus and trojan threats entails a few simple but critical measures. Follow them religiously:
See also: "Olympic Torch" Virus Warning, another version of this hoax.
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