This is yet another step in the clever concept of using Snopes itself as a basis for proof, but even still preys on the fact that (a) people are not going to click on the Snopes link to investigate, or (b) will click on the link and read that it is “real” but not read further down the page to learn the real story. The warning itself is as old as 2006, but the new Mail Server Report warning (sometimes titled WARNING WARNING WARNING) is as recent as March 2008.
The forward going around warns about an email titled Mail Server Report and, according to the forward, will delete everything on your computer if you open the attachments — not to mention pop up various messages. The messages come from a completely different virus hoax that is not even remotely connected, considering the real threat is actually a worm that does no genuine harm to infected computers.
Restated — there is actually a worm that is spread by the Mail Server Report title, but it does not do what the warning email states. It merely searches your machine for email addresses and sends a copy of itself to those addresses. That’s it. That’s what Snopes is actually saying. Had the forwarder (a) actually clicked the link, and (b) read the story ON the Snopes page instead of the one-word conclusion in red, the message you received would not have been sent out. Snopes itself bothers to quote the entire fake forwarded page further down, remarking about the mixup.
“Mail Server Report” IS a virus and was reported as such in October of 2006.
The “hoax” is the “mail server report” with the warning that began circulating in which it erroneously linked the mail server report virus worm with elements of the “Life is Beautiful” virus hoax. Thus, “Mail Server Report” is a REAL virus — not fake or “mostly fake”. The hoax is the email that claims you will “lose everything in your computer”.
A virus is a virus. Mass Mailing worms are a virus. “Mail Server Report” is a virus. “Mail Server Report” actually infected pc’s with Warezov.W or W32/Warezov.X.
The Post at The Ice Blog states the fact that the Mail Server Report is a virus and links to the updated news which states that the new warning contains erroneous statements about its ability to allow someone else access to your name, email and password or erase/delete anything.
A virus is a virus, but a worm is not a virus. There’s a distinction for a reason. A virus spreads from file to file (or affects many/multiple files) and generally causes local effects. A worm is designed to spread from machine to machine. Not all viruses are worms, and not all worms are viruses, though they may have characteristics, depending on which one.
Virus has come to mean generally anything in the broad category these days, but the “Mail Server Report” is just a worm. Mass mailing worms are worms, not viruses, generally.