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NAI Labs AVERT would like to inform you of a new email HOAX.

This email message is just a HOAX, currently we know of no other message that the user will receive about the HOAX as the initial email states. AVERT has not received any report of a user's hard drive being erased for opening the email.

We are advising users who receive the email to delete it and DO NOT pass it on as this is how an email HOAX propagates.

Here is a translation of the message.

WARNING!!!!!! YESTERDAY THE COMPANY SYMANTEC, CREATOR OF NORTON ANTIVIRUS, PUBLISHED IN THE NEW YORK TIMES A NOTE WHICH MENTIONS A NEW VIRUS THAT IS VERY RECENT AND HAS NO CURE. THE VIRUS ARRIVES IN AN E-MAIL. SUBJECT: A GREAT GAME FOR YOUR CHILDREN. ATTACHMENT: PIKACHUS BALL.exe When OPENING the FILE, an ANIMATION OF pIKACHU APPEARS(THE PRINCIPAL CHARACTER OF POKEMON SERIES), the ANIMATION IS VERY COMICAL, IT SHOWS PIKACHU DOING FUNNY STUFF, BUT MEANWHILE the VIRUS REPLICATES IN YOUR COMPUTER, IT DIRECTLY ATTACKS the FILE ALLOCATION TABLE. WHENEVER YOU RUN A PROGRAM, the VIRUS EXECUTES AGAIN. BUT THIS IS NOT ALL THAT IT DOES, IT ALSO ELIMINATES ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE, CREATES AN IP CONFLICT(CONNECTION TO INTERNET) AND WHENEVER IT'S ACCESSED WITH WINDOWS EXPLORER WITH THE INTENTION OF UPDATING YOUR ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE (THAT WAS ALREADY ERASED) PIKACHU APPEARS AGAIN. WHEN THE ATTEMPT IS MADE TO INSTALL A NEW PROGRAM, THE VIRUS CONNECTS TO THE INTERNET, SENDS ITSELF TO ALL YOUR ADDRESS BOOK ENTRIES, SENDS YOUR USERNAME AND PASSWORD TO THE AUTHOR OF THE VIRUS AND FORWARDS EVERYTHING ON THE HARD DISK TO HIM, LEAVING THE VIRUS AS THE ONLY FILE, AND UPON REBOOT, THE VIRUS IS EXECUTED AND EVERYTHING BEGINS AGAIN, LEAVING THE HARD DISK UNUSABLE, BUT IT ALSO KEEPS A COPY IN THE BIOS, LEAVING IT UNUSABLE. SEND THIS EMAIL TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW, IT IS VERY DANGEROUS AND THERE ARE FEW PEOPLE WITH KNOWLEDGE OF THIS VIRUS.

Again, if you receive this email delete it and DO NOT pass it on.

AVERT
A Division of NAI Labs

NAI Labs AVERT would like to inform you of a new email HOAX.

This email message is just a HOAX, currently we know of no other message that the user will receive about the HOAX as the initial email states. AVERT has not received any report of a user's hard drive being erased for opening the email.

We are advising users who receive the email to delete it and DO NOT pass it on as this is how an email HOAX propagates.

Here is a translation of the message.

WARNING!!!!!! YESTERDAY THE COMPANY SYMANTEC, CREATOR OF NORTON ANTIVIRUS, PUBLISHED IN THE NEW YORK TIMES A NOTE WHICH MENTIONS A NEW VIRUS THAT IS VERY RECENT AND HAS NO CURE. THE VIRUS ARRIVES IN AN E-MAIL. SUBJECT: A GREAT GAME FOR YOUR CHILDREN. ATTACHMENT: PIKACHUS BALL.exe When OPENING the FILE, an ANIMATION OF pIKACHU APPEARS(THE PRINCIPAL CHARACTER OF POKEMON SERIES), the ANIMATION IS VERY COMICAL, IT SHOWS PIKACHU DOING FUNNY STUFF, BUT MEANWHILE the VIRUS REPLICATES IN YOUR COMPUTER, IT DIRECTLY ATTACKS the FILE ALLOCATION TABLE. WHENEVER YOU RUN A PROGRAM, the VIRUS EXECUTES AGAIN. BUT THIS IS NOT ALL THAT IT DOES, IT ALSO ELIMINATES ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE, CREATES AN IP CONFLICT(CONNECTION TO INTERNET) AND WHENEVER IT'S ACCESSED WITH WINDOWS EXPLORER WITH THE INTENTION OF UPDATING YOUR ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE (THAT WAS ALREADY ERASED) PIKACHU APPEARS AGAIN. WHEN THE ATTEMPT IS MADE TO INSTALL A NEW PROGRAM, THE VIRUS CONNECTS TO THE INTERNET, SENDS ITSELF TO ALL YOUR ADDRESS BOOK ENTRIES, SENDS YOUR USERNAME AND PASSWORD TO THE AUTHOR OF THE VIRUS AND FORWARDS EVERYTHING ON THE HARD DISK TO HIM, LEAVING THE VIRUS AS THE ONLY FILE, AND UPON REBOOT, THE VIRUS IS EXECUTED AND EVERYTHING BEGINS AGAIN, LEAVING THE HARD DISK UNUSABLE, BUT IT ALSO KEEPS A COPY IN THE BIOS, LEAVING IT UNUSABLE. SEND THIS EMAIL TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW, IT IS VERY DANGEROUS AND THERE ARE FEW PEOPLE WITH KNOWLEDGE OF THIS VIRUS.

Again, if you receive this email delete it and DO NOT pass it on.

AVERT
A Division of NAI Labs