2 Nov
2017
2 Nov
'17
5:57 p.m.
Date: Wed, 16 Nov 88 18:58 EST
From: Patrick G. Sobalvarro <PGS(a)AI.AI.MIT.EDU>
Subject: don't delete this message!
To: rumors(a)MC.LCS.MIT.EDU
cc: mly(a)AI.AI.MIT.EDU, kdo(a)lucid.com
Resent-To: Fun(a)STONY-BROOK.SCRC.Symbolics.COM
Resent-From: David A. Moon <Moon(a)STONY-BROOK.SCRC.Symbolics.COM>
Resent-Date: Wed, 16 Nov 88 20:11 EST
WRITE A UNIX VIRUS PROGRAM WHEN
YOU RECEIVE THIS LETTER AND MAKE MAGIC
This message has been sent to you for good luck. It has been around the world
nine times. The luck has now been sent to you. You will receive good luck
within four days after receiving this letter provided you in return write a
Unix virus program that sends it back out. This is no joke. You will receive
it in the mail.
Write a program that uses common Unix utilities to propagate itself across the
network. Write it so that it modifies the Unix file system code to
spontaneously create copies of this letter in the mailer queue directory,
addressed to random users who you think want good luck. Don't send money, as
fate has no price. Do not delete this message. You will need to include it
in your program, which must be running in 96 hours. An employee at the
Network Control Center received $70,000. Joe Elliot, of Sun Microcomputers in
Mountain View, received $40,000 and lost it because he broke the chain. While
in the Philippines, Gen. Welsh lost his wife six days after receiving the
letter. His virus program didn't work on the Air Force's Univac machines.
However, before her death she has won $30,000 in a lottery. The money was
transferred to him four days after the Air Force awarded AT&T a billion-dollar
contract to supply them with Unix machines.
Please write your virus program right now and see what happens in four days.
This message comes from MIT and was written by a turist in New Jersey, or
someplace like that. Since the copy must make a tour of the world, you must
write 20 virus programs and start them on all the machines you have accounts
on, sending messages to your friends, associates, and everyone else in
/etc/passwd. After a few days you will get a streak of luck. This is true
even if you are not superstitious.
Do note the following: Constantine Dias, a systems manager at Raytheon,
received the chain in 1983. He asked his programmers to write 20 virus
programs and start them up. A few days later he won the lottery of two
million dollars. Aria Dadil, a tape ape at Symbolics, Inc., received the
letter and didn't write a virus program, saying something about random Unix
lossage. His company reported record losses two days later and fired him.
Later after finding the message again, he wrote 20 virus programs and started
them up on a VAX at UDel. A few days later he got a job as the director of
systems programming at Berkeley. Dales Fairchild received the message and not
believing, deleted it. Nine days later his company was bought by Heathkit,
Schlumberger, Western Digital, Fujitsu, Hughes, GM, and Beatrice, in
succession.
On August 20, 1985 the message was received with UUCP and mailed again for fun
and mere love in the world. This message was forwarded by SENDMAIL with SMTP
on Sept. 1, 1986 and again on November 13, 1986, and once more on December
14, 1986.
Remember, send no money. Please do not ignore this. It works.