Re: virus-containing "tesla" / "vacuum tube" message circulated (fwd)

[Steven Roys <sroys@xxxxxxxx>]

[This is all well and good, but not too terribly related to the topic of
high voltage, and I think this thread has reached the end of it's useful
life.  In addition, this is a moderated list, and I am extraordinarily
reluctant to knowingly pass on ANY post that contains ANY attachment of
ANY type.  So, the bottom line is that you shouldn't get any attachments
from this list, and if you do, you should deep-six the post immediately
without even THINKING of opening it.  Links are another thing...I'll
happily pass them along 24/7.  But if you click on something, you and
your your little dog, Toto, are completely on your own. SRR]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2003 10:06:20 -0600
From: Gomez <gomez@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: High Voltage list <hvlist@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: virus-containing "tesla" / "vacuum tube" message circulated
    (fwd)

On Wednesday, September 10, 2003, at 09:08  AM, High Voltage list wrote:

> Original poster: Steven Roys <sroys@xxxxxxxx>
>
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Tue, 9 Sep 2003 17:41:33 -0400
> From: B2 <bensonbd@xxxxxxx>
> To: High Voltage list <hvlist@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: Re: virus-containing "tesla" / "vacuum tube" message
> circulated
>     (fwd)
>
> Hi All:
>
> It also helps if the first address in your address book is "0000000000
> Virus
> Blocker" without the quotes.  This stops some virii from continuing on
> with
> the rest of your address list.

This has been a popular myth for sometime now.  It was believed that
putting a bogus email address at the very top of your list of addresses
would prevent you infecting other people if you got a virus.  It was
incorrectly believed that an infecting worm virus would get stuck at
the bogus address and not be able to continue to mail itself out to the
valid addresses in your contacts list.  People who have spread this
myth quote the tip as coming from a popular PC magazine, that same
magazine posted an article stating that the information is false.
Although adding a bogus email address doesnt hurt anything, at the same
time, it is not helping either.

http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/
trick.address.book.entry.html
http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/HBMalCode.shtml#bang0000