Getting Along With Your Computer Column Archive

Olympic Torch Hoax
By Cate Eales

Appeared Feb 16, 2006 on castanet.net

Olympic Torch Hoax
There's an email circulating this week warning about a virus supposedly contained in an email about the Olympic Torch. As is the case with so many of these messages, this one warns of dire consequences when you open an attachment, mentions CNN and Microsoft as authorities, and encourages you to "SEND THIS MESSAGE TO EVERYONE IN YOUR ADDRESS BOOKS!!!!"

Don't do it. This message is a hoax, and an old, familiar one at that. It's simply a revamped version of "A Card For You" and "WTC Survivor" hoax emails that made the rounds a couple of years ago. We talked about how to spot probable email hoaxes in a previous column. But since then I've found a new website to add to your hoax-busting list: http://www.breakthechain.org. They were the first ones to report on this Olympic Torch email. You can read more about that here: http://www.breakthechain.org/exclusives/olympicvirus.html.

That said, when it comes to email attachments, BE CAREFUL. Sometimes you want to open and attachment. Sometimes you need to open an attachment. But it's usually a bad idea to open attachments that are from someone you don't know, and even from someone you DO know, but from whom you're not expecting an attachment. Run the attached file through your anti-virus scanner before you open it. I always do, even when I recognize the name of the sender, and that precaution has saved me more than once.


Anti-Virus Problem
In other anti-virus news this week, it seems that a recent update to Microsoft's anti-spyware beta thinks Symantec's Norton Anti-Virus is malware and suggests users remove it. Um…don't remove it. That is, unless you're going to replace your Norton Anti-Virus with some other flavour of anti-virus software. This problem was limited to the corporate editions of Norton, so home users were not affected. And, Microsoft issued another update to correct the problems caused by the update to the anti-spyware beta.

Here's the deal, folks: The Microsoft anti-spyware beta is a good tool, and it generally works. It is like so many other tools, though --- sometimes there is a problem. So we always have to ask ourselves when we get an unusual test result, "Does this make sense?" I will continue to use and recommend (for Windows XP users) this tool, at least until July 31, 2006 when it expires. If you're running it, please make sure you have the latest version. You can find out more here: http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/howto/checkversion.mspx.


Olympic Broadcast Coverage (Not A Hoax!)
All that fussing and confusion just makes me want to sit in front of the television and watch the Olympics! You can find a complete television schedule for the CBC television coverage here: http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/broadcastschedules/. And for the curling fans, the TSN schedule is here: http://www.tsn.ca/olympics/feature/?fid=10580. Oh yes, and for the inevitable American slant, the NBC Olympics website is here: http://www.nbcolympics.com/index.html.

I really like the Official Website of the Olympic Movement, here: http://www.olympic.org/. You will find results, information about the athletes, and Flash presentations about how various winter sports are played. For a huge dose of Canadian content, have a look at the Canadian Olympic Committee website, here: http://www.olympic.ca/EN/index.shtml. Enjoy!


Links
Won't Get Fooled Again column13.htm
Break The Chain! http://www.breakthechain.org
Olympic Torch Email Hoax http://www.breakthechain.org/exclusives/olympicvirus.html
Microsoft Anti-Spyware Beta http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx
Check expiration date: http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/howto/checkversion.mspx
CBC Olympic coverage (All Times Eastern) http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/broadcastschedules/
TSN (mostly curling) http://www.tsn.ca/olympics/feature/?fid=10580
NBC Olympic coverage (mostly not curling, but some) http://www.nbcolympics.com/index.html
Official Olympic website http://www.olympic.org/
Canadian Olympic Committee http://www.olympic.ca/EN/index.shtml
Subscribe to this column by email: http://www.feedblitz.com/f/?Sub=20618

---
Cate Eales has been helping people make online computing safe, accessible and fun for over 20 years. She lives in Kelowna with her husband, Eric, and her dog, Sandy. Cate is a partner in Real Life Internet Solutions, helping individuals and small businesses with virus, spyware and malware eradication; personal computer training and management; digital image management; music transfer; and website design, hosting and management. Email Cate at cate@rlis.com with your comments, suggestions, or questions. To browse the column archives, visit the Real Life Internet Solutions website at www.rlis.com.