Create an entry in your address book to avoid spreading viruses-Fiction!

Add An Entry Named !0000 or AAAAAA to Your Address book To Avoid Spreading Viruses-Fiction!

Summary of eRumor
This message includes a tip to help avoid spreading viruses. Since many viruses automatically email themselves to people in your address book, create a new entry that will foil the attempt. Give the new entry the name of !0000 or AAAAAA and do not put any email address in the entry. That way it will be the first in the address book. When a virus tries to send itself to every address, it won't get very far because the familiar error message will appear that says it could not be sent because of either a missing email address or a bad address.

The Truth
The virus experts we have checked with say this piece of simplistic advice did not come from anyone who knows about viruses and that it should not be relied upon. Many viruses will send themselves to any valid email addresses that are found in the address book regardless of whether there are also invalid entries.

Many computer owners have tested the "!0000" suggestion by creating an email that is addressed to several recipients, including the "!0000" entry. The progress of the email will be halted because one of the intended recipients does not have a valid address. Self-propagating viruses, however, do not normally create a single email to a group of recipients that is halted if one of the email addresses is invalid. They create individual emails that are sent to one recipient at a time...therefore all the valid email addresses do receive the virus.

Also, some viruses such as the "SirCam" virus have their own email software included so they will not be using your email program or hindered by any of it's error detection or messages.

Last updated 10/30/01

A real example of the story as it has been circulated:

To avoid spreading computer viruses, create a contact in your email address book with the name : !0000 with no email address in the details.

This contact will then show up as your first contact. If a virus attempts to do a "send all" on your contact list, your pc will put up an error message saying that: "The Message could not be sent.

One or more recipients do not have an e-mail address. Please check your Address Book and make sure all the recipients have a valid e-mail address." You click on OK and the offending (virus) message would not have been sent to anyone. Of course no changes have been made to your original contacts list.

The offending (virus) message may then be automatically stored in your "Drafts" or "Outbox" folder.

Go in there and delete the offending message. Problem is solved and virus is not spread.

Try this and pass on to your email contacts.