Life is beautiful virus hoax Removal Tool

Life is beautiful virus hoax Removal Tool

For other uses, see Life is Beautiful (disambiguation).

The Life is beautiful virus hoax is an e-mail hoax which began circulating on the Internet around January 2002. The e-mail details a virus contained in a Microsoft PowerPoint attachment which is supposedly called Life is beautiful.pps. To date, no such virus has been found and the e-mail is widely considered a hoax.

The e-mail claims to be based upon information from Microsoft and Norton. Symantec, the makers of Norton AntiVirus and who actually provides the virus definitions database for Norton AntiVirus, have issued an advisory stating that the e-mail is a hoax.[1]

The hoax began circulating in 2002, but became active once again in 2009.

The hoax e-mail continues by saying that the virus was made by a person, codename "life owner", who is suing Microsoft in court for patent infringement.


[edit] Sample E-Mail
This is a sample of the English version of the hoax.

URGENT! VIRUS!

This information arrived this morning, from Microsoft and Norton.

Please send it to everybody you know who accesses the Internet.

You may receive an apparently harmless email with a PowerPoint presentation called "Life is beautiful.pps."

If you receive it DO NOT OPEN THE FILE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, and delete it immediately.

If you open this file, a message will appear on your screen saying: "It is too late now, your life is no longer beautiful", subsequently you will LOSE EVERYTHING IN YOUR PC and the person who sent it to you will gain access to your name, email and password.

This is a new virus which started to circulate on Saturday afternoon. WE NEED TO DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO STOP THIS VIRUS.

AOL has already confirmed it's dangerous, and the antivirus softwares are not capable of destroying it.

The virus has been created by a hacker who calls himself "life owner", and who aims to destroy domestic PCs and who also fights Microsoft in court!

That’s why it comes disguised with extension pps. He fights in court for the Windows-XP patent.

MAKE A COPY OF THIS EMAIL TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS.

Alternative 2008/2009 variation

Be Extremely Careful

Especially if using Internet mail such as Yahoo, Hotmail, AOL and so on.


This information arrived this morning direct from both Microsoft and Norton.

Please send it to everybody you know who has access to the Internet.

You may receive an apparently harmless email with a Power Point presentation 'Life is beautiful.'

If you receive it DO NOT OPEN THE FILE UNDER ANY CIRCUM STANCES , and delete it immediately .

If you open this file, a message will appear on your screen saying: 'It is too late now, your life is no longer beautiful.'

Subsequently you will LOSE EVERYTHING IN YOUR PC and the person who sent it to you will gain access to your name, e-mail and password.

This is a new virus which started to circulate on Saturday afternoon.

AOL has already confirmed the severity, and the antivirus software's are not capable of destroying it.

The virus has been created by a hacker who calls himself 'life owner.'

PLEASE SEND A COPY OF THIS EMAIL TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS and ask them to PASS IT ON IMMEDIATELY

Removal

We are advising users who receive the email to delete it and DO NOT pass it on as this is how an email HOAX propagates.


[edit] References
^ Koris, George (2002-01-15). "Life is beautiful Hoax" (HTML). Symantec.com. Symantec. http://www.symantec.com/security_response/writeup.jsp?docid=2002-011511-0444-99&tabid=2. Retrieved 2007-11-04.