Good Times Virus FAQ
Frank Swift at Home (uncl@llnl.gov)
Tue, 13 Feb 1996 06:27:46 -0800
Annually, or is it quarterly now, this subject comes up. Here from the Virus Li
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Date: Wed, 07 Feb 1996 23:01:07 -0500 (EST)
From: Les Jones <lesjones@usit.net>
Subject: Good Times Virus Hoax Mini FAQ
X-Digest: Volume 9 : Issue 24
The Good Times email virus is a hoax!
If anyone repeats the hoax, please show them the FAQ.
G o o d T i m e s V i r u s H o a x
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M i n i F A Q
by Les Jones
macfaq@aol.com
lesjones@usit.net
February 6, 1996
This information can be freely reproduced in any medium,
as long as the information is unmodified.
A FAQ, if you're new to the Internet, is a document that answers
Frequently Asked Questions. This Mini FAQ is a summary of, and a
reference to, the full FAQ, which has much more information about this
and other hoaxes. Instructions for retrieving the full FAQ are at the
end of this message. The Mini FAQ is short enough for faxes, message
boards, company memos, and people with short attention spans.
Is the Good Times email virus a hoax?
- ------------------------------------
Yes. It's a hoax.
America Online, government computer security agencies, and makers of
anti-virus software have declared Good Times a hoax. See Online
References at the end of the FAQ.
The hoax has been around since at least November of 1994. Since that
time, no copy of the alleged virus has ever been found, nor has there
been a single verified case of a viral attack.
I'm new to the Internet. What is the Good Times virus hoax?
- ----------------------------------------------------------
The story is that a virus called Good Times is being carried by email.
Just reading a message with "Good Times" in the subject line will
erase your hard drive, or even destroy your computer's processor.
Needless to say, it's a hoax, but a lot of people believed it.
Some of the companies that have reportedly fallen for the hoax include
AT&T, CitiBank, NBC, Hughes Aircraft, Microsoft, Texas Instruments,
and dozens or hundreds of others. There have been outbreaks at
numerous colleges.
The U.S. government has not been immune. Some of the government
agencies that have reportedly fallen victim to the hoax include the
Department of Defense, the FCC, and NASA.
The full Good Times Virus Hoax FAQ has more information about the
origins of the hoax, and variations on the text of the hoax.
What was the CIAC bulletin?
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On December 6, 1994, the U.S. Department of Energy's CIAC (Computer
Incident Advisory Capability) issued a bulletin declaring the Good
Times virus a hoax and an urban legend. The bulletin was widely quoted
as an antidote to the hoax. The original document can be found at the
address in Online References at the end of the mini FAQ, and is
included verbatim in the full FAQ. CIAC issued another bulletin on
April 24, 1995 to reiterate that Good Times is a hoax.
Online References
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**CIAC Notes 94-05, 95-09, and especially 94-04**
http://ciac.llnl.gov/ciac/notes/Notes04c.shtml
http://ciac.llnl.gov/ciac/notes/Notes05d.shtml
http://ciac.llnl.gov/ciac/notes/Notes09.shtml
Data Fellows' description of Good Times
http://www.datafellows.fi/v-descs/goodtime.htm
Australian Cert Note
ftp://ftp.auscert.org.au/pub/auscert/advisory/AL-95.02.virus.hoax.returns
Where can I find this FAQ and the complete FAQ?
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**The Good Times Virus Hoax FAQ and Mini FAQ**
The mini FAQ is a greatly simplified version of this FAQ. At two
pages, it's short enough for message boards, faxes, mailing lists, and
people with short attention spans.
http://www.usit.net/public/lesjones/goodtimes.html
http://www.usit.net/public/lesjones/gtminifaq.html
http://users.aol.com/macfaq/goodtimes.html
http://users.aol.com/macfaq/gtminifaq.html
Via FTP:
ftp://usit.net/pub/lesjones/good-times-virus-hoax-faq.txt
ftp://usit.net/pub/lesjones/good-times-virus-hoax-mini-faq.txt
ftp://users.aol.com/macfaq/good-times-virus-hoax-faq.txt
ftp://users.aol.com/macfaq/good-times-virus-hoax-mini-faq.txt
On America Online:
In the file libraries at keyword VIRUS.
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Frank Swift L-315 (Sent from Home)
Unclassified Computer Security Coordinator
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)
7000 East Avenue L-315 Livermore CA 94550-9516
Voice: (510) 422-1463 FAX: (510) 423-0913