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From: portal!cup.portal.com!Alan_J_Roberts@Sun.COM
Newsgroups: comp.virus
Subject: New Virus (PC)
Message-ID: <0001.8911131038.AA09039@ge.sei.cmu.edu>
Date: 10 Nov 89 17:32:38 GMT
Sender: Virus Discussion List <VIRUS-L@IBM1.CC.Lehigh.EDU>
Lines: 39
Approved: krvw@sei.cmu.edu


     A new COM infector was submitted to the HomeBase board this
evening by Jean Luz of Lisbon, Portugal.  The virus is in many
respects similar to the Vienna virus - the size increase is 648 bytes,
and instead of overwriting every eigth file (on the average) with the
re-boot sequence, it overwrites with the characters "AIDS", thus
crippling those applications.  This virus shoulkd not be confused with
the original AIDS virus (very dissimilar).  Asside from the mentioned
similarities with Vienna, the virus appears to be written from
scratch.  The 648 length seems to be a chance result.  No effects of
the virus have been observed other than the above mentioned.  The
virus has been in Portugal at least two months according to the
submitter.  Alan

P.S.  The following presumably straight-faced request was posted on
HomeBase by John McAfee.  Thought it might be of interest to Virus-L
readers:

To: All Users
From: John McAfee
Subject: Reported Possible Virus

    I received an unusual call from a Mr. Fred Hankel of Fargo, North
Dakota this morning.  Mr. Hankel was highly agitated and after hearing his
long and involved story, I was moved to pass on this condensed summary to
all who might be interested:  Mr. Hankel reports, and I have no grounds for
doubting, that a computer virus invaded his system from a bingo game he
purchased in mid-October.  The virus activated at 11:00 A.M yesterday and
promply melted his power supply and mother board.  As he reached for the
power switch to turn off the machine, the virus blasted a perfectly circular
hole in the front panel of his AT clone and left a three foot oval scorch
mark on the back wall of his den.  I had not heard of this virus before
and felt that an alert might be in order.  Anyone experiencing similar
symptoms should contact us immediately.
Thank you.

[Ed. Sounds (to me) like paranoia strikes deep.  I trust that everyone
will have the good sense to take this report with a large grain of
salt...]