There is an virus warning hoax going around that warns of an virus that opens an Olympic Torch which “burns” the whole hard disk C of your computer.  It looks like this:

Please read the attached warning issued today.PLEASE FORWARD THIS WARNING AMONG FRIENDS, FAMILY AND CONTACTS:

You should be alert during the next days:
Do not open any message with an attached filed called “Invitation” regardless of who sent it .

It is a virus that opens an Olympic Torch which “burns” the whole hard disc C of your computer. This virus will be received from someone who has your e-mail address in his/her contact list, that is why you should send this e-mail to all your contacts. It is better to receive this message 25 times than to receive the virus and open it.

If you receive a mail called “invitation”, though sent by a friend, do not open it and shut down your computer immediately.

This is the worst virus announced by CNN, it has been classified by Microsoft as the most destructive virus ever.

This virus was discovered by McAfee yesterday, and there is no repair yet for this kind of virus.

This virus simply destroys the Zero Sector of the Hard Disc, where the vital information is kept.

SEND THIS E-MAIL TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW, COPY THIS E-MAIL AND SEND IT TO YOUR FRIENDS AND REMEMBER: IF YOU SEND IT TO THEM, YOU WILL BENEFIT ALL OF US.

I hope you are not participating in spreading this virus warning hoax. There is no such thing as a virus that does this. (yet)

Even though this is a hoax, it could be used to spread viruses, especially if it has an attachment. If it was a real virus, you would have unwittingly participated in spreading it.

Chances are that it is simply a “joke” type of hoax, but since it was an HTML email, it could be tracked everywhere it goes, probing for gullible computer users as a prelude to a real attack, or for other malicious purpose.

Also, HTML emails don’t require an attachment to infect a users. Simply viewing them in a vulnerable, unpatched computer can download a worm or other spyware or virus.

I would also advise everyone to be very skeptical about any emails that warn of any dire consequences and/or requiring urgent attention especially if they relate to any bank account, PayPal or eBay account or virus warning or other security warning.

If you do receive any such emails, never ever click on any link nor open any attachment. If you are concerned about any account, use the phone and call your bank, or visit the site and check your account by typing in the address in the address bar.

For more information about the “Olympic Torch” virus hoax, please refer to the following article at Sophos:

http://www.sophos.com/security/hoaxes/olympic.html

Or at McAfee:

http://vil.nai.com/vil/content/v_138711.htm

- Practice Safe Computing

Users are advised to update QuckTime ASAP and to recheck it in a few days (or set it to automatically check for updates).  This flaw has been actively exploited on MySpace and can steal users passwords.

Get the update directly from Apple at the following link: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html

Most all versions of MS Office and MS Works for Windows and Mac are vulnerable to malicious word documents.  It is advised that no unsolicited doc files be opened by users.  They may arrive as email attachments.  Do not open or save any .doc files received from the Internet.  It is worth noting that Microsoft has been unusually strong in the wording of their warning.

For more info:  http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/929433.mspx

A patch may be available on Patch Tuesday, December 12.

Critical security vulnerabilities have been discovered in Adobe Reader and Adobe Download Manager.  Users are advised to upgrade Reader to version 8.  It can be found at:  Reader

Adobe advises that the download manager be uninstalled.  For more info, visit Adobe here.