Warning that a message offering pictures of Osama Bin Laden's death are viruses-Truth! and Fiction!

Messages that Claim to Have Pictures of Osama Bin Laden's Suicide is Actually a Virus-Truth! & Fiction!

Summary of the eRumor There are at least a couple of versions of this eRumor. One warns that an email that claims to include pictures of Osama Bin Laden's suicide is actually designed to trick you into opening a file that contains a virus. Another says that it's the worst virus every known and will crash your hard drive.


The Truth Update 5/1/11: Osama Bin Laden was shot and killed by Navy Seals in a military operation to apprehend him on May, 1, 2011. The terrorist's identification was confirmed by DNA and the body was buried at sea within 24 hours of death, in accordance to Muslim tradition. At this time there are no known photographs that have been released. Faked photos haven been circulating the Internet about 2 hours after the news of his death. Some could be virus infected. Click for more details. There is no Osama Bin Laden suicide or any suicide photos, but one of the emails claiming to have the pictures is actually carrying a virus. The goal of the email is to trick recipients into clicking the attached file. That unleashes a Trojan Hose type virus that makes it possible for the virus writers to take over your computer and use it as a messenger for reaching other computers. It is similar to the Anna Kournikova virus that circulated before this one and tried to lure recipients into clicking the file by offering nude photos. The folks at Sophos Anti-Virus classed it as VBS/Nedal-A and say it's been around since 2002. For more details, go to: http://us.mcafee.com/virusInfo/default.asp?id=description&virus_k=99686 In June, 2002, a corrupted version of this Osama Bin Laden warning started circulating along with a virus warning that is an old hoax. It claimed that if you opened the attachment to the Osama Bin Laden email you would get a virus that will destroy your hard drive. That is not true. Then the eRumor also talks about an "Invitation" or "Olympic Torch" virus, which does not exist and is a hoax. Updated 5/1/11
A real example of the eRumor as it has appeared on the Internet:
Version # 1 Virus name: "Osama bin Laden Captured" Warning 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!!! This e-mail is being distributed through countries around the globe, but mainly in the US and Israel. Don’t be inconsiderate; send this warning to whomever you know. Version #2 VIRUS WARNING 1. 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! This e-mail is being distributed through countries around the globe, but mainly in the US and Israel . Don't be inconsiderate; send this warning to whomever you know. If you get an email along the lines of "Osama Bin Laden Captured" or "Osama Hanged" don't open the attachment. 2. 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, & gt; 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.