RE: worm stopper

["Ron Force" <rforce@moscow.com>]

Nope, doesn't work.

See: http://antivirus.about.com/library/weekly/aa082801b.htm

The advice has become an internet virus itself (of sorts).

********************************************
Ron Force	      	  rforce@moscow.com
Moscow Idaho USA
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> -----Original Message-----
> From: WMSteed@aol.com [mailto:WMSteed@aol.com]
> Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2001 1:02 PM
> To: vision2020@moscow.com
> Subject: Fwd: worm stopper
> 
> 
> Anyone know if the following, which was forwarded to me, will 
> actually work?
> 
> Walter Steed
> 
> <<I  learned of a computer trick that's really ingenious in its
> simplicity. 
> 
> As you may know, when/if a worm virus gets into your computer it
> heads 
> straight for your email address book and sends itself to everyone in
> there, thus 
> infecting all your friends and associates.  This trick won't keep
> the virus 
> from getting into your computer, but it will stop it from using your
> address 
> book to spread further, and it will alert you to the fact that the
> worm has 
> gotten into your system. 
> 
> Here's what you do: first, open your address book and click on "new
> contact" 
> just as you would do if you were adding a new friend to your list of
> email 
> addresses.  In the window where you would type your friend's first
> name, 
> type in !000 (that's an exclamation mark followed by 3 zeros).  In
> the window 
> below where it prompts you to enter the new email address, type in
> WormAlert. (If it 
> tells you this is not a valid address just say yes to add it, or
> ok).  Then 
> complete everything by clicking add, enter, ok, etc. 
> 
> Now, here's what you've done and why it works: the "name" !000 will
> be placed 
> at the top of your address book as entry #1.  This will be where the
> worm will 
> start in an effort to send itself to all your friends.  But when it
> tries to 
> send itself to !000, it will be undeliverable because of the phony
> email 
> address you entered (WormAlert).  If the first attempt fails (which
> it will 
> because of the phony address), the worm goes no further and your
> friends will 
> not be infected. 
> 
> Here's the second great advantage of this method: if an email cannot
> be 
> delivered, you will be notified of this in your InBox almost
> immediately. 
> Hence, if you ever get an email telling you that an email addressed
> to 
> WormAlert could not be delivered, you know right away that you have
> the worm 
> virus in your system. You can then take steps to get rid of it!>>
>