Proving that even the best-intentioned government officials have a long way to go before truly becoming wired, an online newsletter has revealed that a supposedly Net-savvy team of government advisers fell prey to a well-known hoax.
In the midst of a well-argued diatribe against the excesses of government secrecy, Senator Patrick Moynihan's Report of the Commission on Protecting and Reducing Government Secrecy sternly warns against the unpredictable dangers posed by email viruses.
The report, which specifically references a supposed virus called " Penpal Greetings," warns that "although the message appear[s] to be a friendly letter, it contain[s] a virus that could infect the hard drive and destroy all data present."
But in his 3 April Crypt Newsletter, George Smith points out that "Penpal Greetings" is one of several online hoaxes designed to alarm email users rather than crash their systems. "Real computer experts," notes Smith, "now occasionally worry ... that they spend more time clearing up confusion created by such tricks than destroying actual computer viruses.
"In some ways it's not surprising that the warning showed up in the report," says Pam Oppenheim, product manager at Command Software Systems. "Every author should check his facts, but there's been a lot of press fanfare about the damage viruses can do. And with viruses, the presumption is better safe than sorry, especially given that there are so many new users out there."
Authors of the report, who included John Deutch, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Alison Fortier, director of Missile Defense Programs in the Washington Office of Lockheed Martin Corporation, and Senator Jesse Helms (R-NC), could not be reached for comment.
