Re: Virus Alert!

Is there any truth in this???

I seem to remember someone saying that virus propagation via email as 
described below is impossible???

Mike Elliott

______________________________ Reply Separator
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Subject: Virus Alert!
Author:  Dave.D at BULL-UK29-ICARUS
Date:	 09/12/96 09:43

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If anyone receives mail entitled: PENPAL GREETINGS! please delete it
WITHOUT 
reading it.
This is a warning for all internet users - there is a dangerous virus 
propogating across the internet through an e-mail message entitled
"PENPAL 
GREETINGS!".  DO NOT DOWNLOAD ANY MESSAGE ENTITLED "PENPAL GREETINGS!"

This message appears to be a friendly letter asking you if you are 
interested in a penpal, but by the time you read this letter, it is too 
late.  The "trojan horse" virus will have already infected the boot
sector 
of your hard drive, destroying all of the data present.  It is a 
self-replicating virus, and once the message is read, it will
AUTOMATICALLY 
forward itself to anyone who's e-mail address is present in YOUR
mailbox!

This virus will DESTROY your hard drive, and holds the potential to
DESTROY 
the hard drive of anyone whose mail is in your inbox, and who's mail is
in 
their inbox, and so on.  If this virus remains unchecked, it has the 
potntial to do a great deal of DAMAGE to computer networks worldwide!!!!

Please, delete the message entitled "PENPAL GREETINGS!" as soon as you
see 
it!  And pass this message along to all of your friends and relatives,
and 
the other readers of the newsgroups and mailing lists which you are on,
so 
that they are not hurt by this dangerous virus!!!!