A Brief History of Internet Hoaxes

A Brief History of Internet Hoaxes

Any one who uses email these days is familiar with the omnipresent spam fills up your inbox or your junk folder (if you are a bit more savvy). Worse than the "normal" spam are the hoaxes and urban legends that are sent out by well meaning but uninformed friends and family. I get several of these each month. I have worked hard to keep them to a minimum and have alienated several of my friends in the process. Have you ever wondered where or who started the hoaxes and urban legends. I mean who made up the first internet hoax? What was it? I wondered about it so I did some research. Here's what I found.

The First Hoax

Computer Incident Advisory Capability (CIAC.org) has been providing the U.S. Department of Energy with incident response, reporting and tracking of computer security incidents since 1989. According to CIAC, the first known internet hoax was perpetrated in October of 1988 and was the so-called "2400 baud modem virus". The actual text of the hoax is shown below:

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SUBJ: Really Nasty Virus

AREA: GENERAL (1)

I've just discovered probably the world's worst computer virus yet. I had just finished a late night session of BBS'ing and file treading when I exited Telix 3 and attempted to run pkxarc to unarc the software I had downloaded. Next thing I knew my hard disk was seeking all over and it was apparently writing random sectors. Thank god for strong coffee and a recent backup. Everything was back to normal, so I called the BBS again and downloaded a file. When I went to use ddir to list the directory, my hard disk was getting trashed again. I tried Procomm Plus TD and also PC Talk 3. Same results every time. Something was up so I hooked up to my test equipment and different modems (I do research and development for a local computer telecommunications company and have an in-house lab at my disposal). After another hour of corrupted hard drives I found what I think is the world's worst computer virus yet. The virus distributes itself on the modem sub-carrier present in all 2400 baud and up modems. The sub-carrier is used for ROM and register debugging purposes only, and otherwise serves no othr (sp) purpose. The virus sets a bit pattern in one of the internal modem registers, but it seemed to screw up the other registers on my USR. A modem that has been "infected" with this virus will then transmit the virus to other modems that use a subcarrier (I suppose those who use 300 and 1200 baud modems should be immune). The virus then attaches itself to all binary incoming data and infects the host computer's hard disk. The only way to get rid of this virus is to completely reset all the modem registers by hand, but I haven't found a way to vaccinate a modem against the virus, but there is the possibility of building a subcarrier filter. I am calling on a 1200 baud modem to enter this message, and have advised the sysops of the two other boards(names withheld). I don't know how this virus originated, but I'm sure it is the work of someone in the computer telecommunications field such as myself. Probably the best thing to do now is to stick to 1200 baud until we figure this thing out.

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Now for those of you that are unfamiliar with modems from that time period, the 2400 baud modem was the latest technology in 1988. It is certain that the hoax didn't propagate to nearly the degree that a similar hoax would today but in its day this hoax caused its share of headaches. On a lighter note, the 2400 baud modem hoax also spawned the spoof hoax shown below.

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Date: 11-31-88 (24:60) Number: 32769

To: ALL Refer#: NONE

From: ROBERT MORRIS III Read: (N/A)

Subj: VIRUS ALERT Status: PUBLIC MESSAGE

Warning: There's a new virus on the loose that's worse than anything I've seen before! It gets in through the power line, riding on the powerline 60 Hz subcarrier. It works by changing the serial port pinouts, and by reversing the direction one's disks spin. Over 300,000 systems have been hit by it here in Murphy, West Dakota alone! And that's just in the last 12 minutes.

It attacks DOS, Unix, TOPS-20, Apple-II, VMS, MVS, Multics, Mac, RSX-11, ITS, TRS-80, and VHS systems.

To prevent the spresd of the worm:

1) Don't use the powerline.

2) Don't use batteries either, since there are rumors that this virus has invaded most major battery plants and is infecting the positive poles of the batteries. (You might try hooking up just the negative pole.)

3) Don't upload or download files.

4) Don't store files on floppy disks or hard disks.

5) Don't read messages. Not even this one!

6) Don't use serial ports, modems, or phone lines.

7) Don't use keyboards, screens, or printers.

8) Don't use switches, CPUs, memories, microprocessors, or mainframes.

9) Don't use electric lights, electric or gas heat or airconditioning, running water, writing, fire, clothing or the wheel.

I'm sure if we are all careful to follow these 9 easy steps, this virus can be eradicated, and the precious electronic fluids of our computers can be kept pure.

---RTM III

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So that's where it started. From that humble beginning the creative hoaxsters around the world have conjured forth the likes of these...

Bill Gates $1000 giveaway

It takes guts to Say "Jesus"

Then there's my personal favorite...

Clinton got rid of IRS -- no more taxes

For more information on the silly hoaxes that people buy into checkout hoaxbusters.ciac.org. But if you really want to do yourself and your friends a favor take the following tips to heart.

1. Any piece of email that has the request to "send this to everyone you know" is a hoax or just a useless chain letter.


2. Hoaxes can also be identified by two factors that always occur together. Those factors are technical sounding language together with credibility by association. (e.g. "The engineers at Bell Labs and IBM have determined that....")


3. Chain letters can be identified easily by using a bit of common sense. Look for the "hook". For example, the "A little girl is dying" chain letter hooks you with a sympathetic story. Once you've found the hook refer to tip #1.

Save your relationships with your friends and family...forward this article to everyone you know. (Just kidding!)