5 Years Later, the Olympic Torch Virus Hoax Still Burns Strong

Five years later, the Olympic Torch virus hoax is still going strong.

Back in February 2006, folks started forwarding their friends and family members chain emails warning them not to open any emails titled “Invitation” as they contained attachments harboring what was known as the “Olympic Torch virus.”

According to the email, the alleged “most destructive virus ever” earns its title by wiping out the unsuspecting victim’s hard-drive. Of course, the real problem lies in the fact that the email is a hoax and the Olympic Torch virus does not exist.

Nowadays folks are not only keeping the Olympic Torch virus hoax alive by forwarding emails to their contact lists, but posting “warnings” on social networking sites like Facebook.

Here’s a copy of the current email circulating that warns you of the dangers offered by the fake Olympic Torch virus:

Subject: FW: Worst Computer Virus - Please read

PLEASE CIRCULATE THIS NOTICE TO YOUR FRIENDS, FAMILY, CONTACTS! In the coming days, you should be aware....

Do not open any message with an attachment called: Invitation FACEBOOK, regardless of who sent it. It is a virus that opens an Olympic torch that burns the whole hard disc C of your computer.

This virus will be received from someone you had in your address book .. That's why you should send this message to all your contacts. It is better to receive this email 25 times to receive the virus and open it .. If you receive a mail called: Invitation FACEBOOK, though sent by a friend, do not open it and delete it immediately. It is the worst virus announced by CNN. A new virus has been discovered recently that has been classified by Microsoft as the most destructive virus ever.

It is a Trojan Horse that asks you to install an adobe flash plug-in. Once you install it, it's all over. 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 of their function is saved.

SNOPES SAYS THIS IS TRUE............
http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/youtube.asp

Facebook posts warning users of the Olympic Torch virus typically contains a chunk of the email above.

Ironically, the Snopes article linked in the chain email was related to an entirely different threat and had no connection to the Olympic Torch virus hoax. It’s important that you do a little research before sharing information with others to avoid generating unwarranted fear.

If you receive one of the variants of the Olympic Torch virus hoax emails, feel free to delete it WITHOUT forwarding it to any of your contacts.

While it's true that bad guys spread malware via email attachments, this "Olympic Torch virus" is not one of them. Protect yourself by running up-to-date antivirus software that offers email filtering and real-time scanning and avoid downloading unexpected email attachments.

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