20th Anniversary of Michelangelo Virus Scare 92
An anonymous reader writes "It's twenty years since the first big virus scare. According to security blogger Graham Cluley, who has written up his memories of the hard disk wiping virus, John McAfee predicted that around 5 million computers would be zapped by the virus on March 6th 1992. Of course, the truth was nothing like as bad — but the antivirus business was plagued forevermore by accusations of fear-mongering."
Fear mongering? (Score:5, Funny)
...but the antivirus business was plagued forevermore by accusations of fear-mongering."
Symantec's whole business model goes something like this: "Hey, that's a nice computer you have there. A shame if something were to... happen... to it." It's not an accusation, they're quite forward about it... try unsubscribing from their service once you have it. It's easier to just call the bank and say "cancel my card, close the account, burn the evidence." --- though you still have to figure out how to remove said leech software and disable all the damn warnings. Modern antivirus does not go quietly: It threatens to kill you while you're disabling it, like some sick scifi computer.... "Noooo... daaaaaavee.... I loooovvve yooooouu.. *bzzzrrrrt*"
Thanks /. (Score:4, Funny)
Over heard in the school hallways... (Score:4, Funny)
"I'm scared of the vahrus!" (Score:4, Funny)
I remember the Michaelangelo virus well. It was the first virus to really hit the national news, and lots of users were worried about it. I was working for a consulting firm in Savannah, GA at the time. I like to tell this story about one of our customers who had heard about the virus on the news.
It was during the Michelangelo hysteria that I received a call from Miss M-, an employee of one of our clients located in the rural town of G-, Georgia.
"Tell me something", she began in her South-Georgia dialect. "How can you get that vahrus they been talkin' about?"
Their computer was an IBM AS400, which was totally immune from Michelangelo. I explained this to her.
"Well, how can you catch that vahrus? How does it move around?"
"Well, um, through the telephone," I answered.
Every day, this woman used her AS400 to call a credit card clearing house computer, and I thought that she could put two and two together.
"The Phone?" she exclaimed. "Well, I mean, how can you get a vahrus over the phone? How can I keep from getting the vahrus? Should I wear gloves or something!"
It finally occurred to me that she wasn't just worried that her computer could get the virus, but that SHE could get the virus from her computer (and I had just told her she could get it over the phone!).
I went through a careful explanation as to how it wasn't a real virus like people get, but was just a little computer program. It was called a virus because it copied itself from computer to computer, sort of like the real thing.
"Oh, my! Well, I'm SO glad I called you. I was SO worried and I didn't know what to do about the vahrus."
I was in such a state of shock all I could do was say, "You're welcome," and hang up.