'Lets Watch TV' Virus Hoax On The Rampage
IBM has issued a warning about a hoax alert, apparently originating from IBM itself, that advises about a new virus, possibly as virulent as the Melissa virus.
The hoax message, which warns PC and Apple Mac users to be on the lookout for a message entitled "Let's watch TV," first appeared in low numbers in late March, but appears to have resurfaced in the wake of the ILOVEYOU virus.
IBM said that the message is a hoax one and should be ignored by recipients. The message now appears to be circulating widely, Newsbytes understands, because of heightened worries about worms such as the ILOVEYOU virus.
In its advisory to customers, IBM said that users should ignore the message and/or delete it. "Do not forward this message on to others as it suggests," the firm advised.
-----------copy of hoax message------ Subject: IBM OFFICIAL VIRUS WARNING
PASS THIS ON TO ANYONE YOU HAVE AN E-MAIL ADDRESS FOR.
If you receive an e-mail titled "Lets watch TV" DO NOT OPEN IT.
It will erase everything on your hard drive. This information was announced yesterday morning from IBM; AOL states that "KALI" is a very dangerous virus, much worse than "Melissa," and that there is NO remedy for it at this time. Some very sick individual has succeeded in using the reformat function from Norton Utilities causing it to completely erase all documents on the hard drive. It has been designed to work with Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer. It destroys Macintosh and IBM compatible computers.
This is a new, very malicious virus and not many people know about it.
Pass this warning along to EVERYONE in your address book and please share it with all your online friends ASAP so that this threat may be stopped.
Please practice cautionary measures and tell anyone that may have access to your computer. Forward this warning to everyone that might access the Internet. -----------end of hoax message------
IBM confirmed that the hoax message should be ignored.
IBM's Web site is at http://www.ibm.com.
Reported by Newsbytes.com, http://www.newsbytes.com.