To All members:This is a true virus warning and not a hoax.

NA | 7/19/2005 | AFCSA

[dvan]

This was received via email. I confirmed it on http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/osama.asp

[cripplecreek]

I never open that stuff. This first thing I do is check FR or one of the media sites.

[keat]

People send viruses by email?

[Cagey]

Emails with pictures of Osama Bin-Laden hanged are being sent and the moment that you open these emails your computer will crash and you will not be able to fix it!!!

I don't think a virus can get on your computer simply by opening an email. Isn't it the attachment that has to be opened?

[Horatio Gates]

Thank you for the heads up on that.

[Prime Choice]

This is a genuine virus, but it's nearly a full year old. If you're not patched against it yet, you deserve to have your computer nuked.

[goodnesswins]

"When a message recipient clicks on this link to view what he thinks are pictures of Osama bin Laden's capture, he can end up downloading an executable Trojan known as Backdoor-AZU, BKDR_LARSLP.A, Download.Trojan, TrojanProxy.Win32.Small.b,or Win32.Slarp.< BR> Clicking the embedded link in the "Osama bin Laden Captured" message auto-executes a file called "EXPLOIT.EXE," which exploits a known security hole to download the Trojan. According to McAfee Security: "

Did you read THIS???

[fire and forget]

Thanks for the heads up. You and I met in person by the way at the White House (the restaurant in Anaheim) about five years ago. How've you been?

[Cyber Liberty]

As long as people are stupid enough to run .exe files sent to them from God knows where, yes...lol

[tutstar]

ping

[stylin19a]

Let the UN handle it

[N. Theknow]

People send viruses by email?

If they sneeze on their mouse before clicking "Send."

[Prime Choice]

I don't think a virus can get on your computer simply by opening an email. Isn't it the attachment that has to be opened?

Thanks to Microsoft's shoddy coding in Outlook and Outlook Express, you can indeed get nailed without opening the attachment. Seems that Microsoft thought the "preview" feature was more important than security, so it allowed the system to open the attachment without the user doing anything. And just by receiving your e-mail, *bang*! You were nailed.

How d'ya like that?

[steveegg]

It's an old trojan first discovered in 2003. See McAfee's writeup on this.

[dhs12345]

You must own stock in virus scan software. :)

[Cagey]

Actually, I did. But did you read the opening sentence where the story claims the virus will crash your computer the moment the email is opened?

It states the email, not the .exe file instantly crashes your computer, which of course is nonsense.

[Prime Choice]

You must own stock in virus scan software. :)

I should be so lucky.

[RS]

"Clicking the embedded link in the "Osama bin Laden Captured" message ..."

Clicking the link without actually looking at where it will take you is what runs the virus file.

You can open the e-mail as long as you don't click the link you are fine - clicking without looking first is like walking accross the street without looking.

[Andy from Beaverton]

Go buy the best virus protection on the market, get a Mac!