Is the Hallmark Postcard virus real or hoax?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Dragon
  • Start date Start date
D

Dragon

I've just received a warning from a friend who received it from a friend etc
etc
Reckons the Hallmark Postcard virus is the worst yet.
Has been checked by Snopes.
Looks more like a hoax to me but is the truth known?

Henry
 
Wolf Kirchmeir said:
Dragon said:
I've just received a warning from a friend who received it from a friend
etc etc
Reckons the Hallmark Postcard virus is the worst yet.
Has been checked by Snopes.
Looks more like a hoax to me but is the truth known?

Henry
Click to expand...

Google on "Hallmark virus hoax". It's a hoax, but e-cards can and do carry
viruses, so be cautious. Also, e-card websites often have a slew of linked
sites that want to set cookies, etc. I use Firefox's Noscript extension,
and allow cookies For Session only.

First hit (excerpt -- and note warning about similarly named actual
virus):

"'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: Feb. 2008 (this version)
Status: False


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.
{...]"


BTW, a reference to Snopes usually means a hoax, but it's worth checking
out snopes.com anyhow. A little healthy paranoia never hurt anybody. ;-)

HTH
Click to expand...

Thanks Wolf
I did Google it but the results were a bit ambiguous with some claiming a
genuine virus.
Henry
 
David H. Lipman said:
From: "Dragon" <[email protected]>

| I've just received a warning from a friend who received it from a friend
etc
| etc
| Reckons the Hallmark Postcard virus is the worst yet.
| Has been checked by Snopes.
| Looks more like a hoax to me but is the truth known?

| Henry


The *best* place to check is HoaxBusters at the CIAC
http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/HBHoaxIndex.html

Could be a variation of the "Olympic Torch Virus Hoax"
http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/cgi-bin...www/hoaxbusters/HBMalCode.shtml&line=2021#mfs
Click to expand...

Interesting links to Hoax busters and indeed I see the similarity to Olympic
Torch now that you have pointed me at it
In general I see 2 problems with using Hoaxbusters.
1 How does one find that the hoax of interest is a variant without doing a
search of the all the hoaxes listed?
2 the site has not been updated since 18 October 2007 as DOE has lost
interest according to the home page.
"The U.S. Department of Energy has decided that it no longer wants to be
associated with hoaxbusters.ciac.org so this site has been permanently shut
down. "

I did a Google on Hoaxbusters and found an alternative site that listed the
Hallmark hoax - once you dug far enough.
http://hoaxbusters.org/

Henry
 
David H. Lipman said:
From: "Dragon" <[email protected]>



| Interesting links to Hoax busters and indeed I see the similarity to
Olympic
| Torch now that you have pointed me at it
| In general I see 2 problems with using Hoaxbusters.
| 1 How does one find that the hoax of interest is a variant without doing
a
| search of the all the hoaxes listed?
| 2 the site has not been updated since 18 October 2007 as DOE has lost
| interest according to the home page.
| "The U.S. Department of Energy has decided that it no longer wants to be
| associated with hoaxbusters.ciac.org so this site has been permanently
shut
| down. "

| I did a Google on Hoaxbusters and found an alternative site that listed
the
| Hallmark hoax - once you dug far enough.
| http://hoaxbusters.org/

| Henry


Thanx for that. Until recently I haven't had to reference the CIAC's Hoax
Busters. In
the last few days I have seen a few email hoaxes distributed.

I'm sorry to see it was dropped by the CIAC but I am glad it was pcked up.
However, not
by an "authority" like the CIAC.

The problem with the site, no good search engine!
Click to expand...

It's nice to make a contribution for a change!

Henry
 
David H. Lipman wrote:

Snopes is not reliable.
Click to expand...

Back in the day, David Mikkelson was something of a kook:

http://www.killfile.org/~tskirvin/faqs/legends/legends1.html

There's a more coherent and updated accounting elsewhere, but I'm not
feeling like a missionary tonight.

With respect to your other post about the problem of site search on
sites lacking a search facility, see here:

http://www.google.com/support/bin/static.py?page=searchguides.html&ctx=advanced

Scroll down to "Domain Search." For example, if you type (without the
quotes)

"Hallmark site:hoaxbusters.org"

it will bring up all pages with a reference to "Hallmark."
 
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