snopes.com: Life Is Beautiful Virus

• Home

• Search
• Send Comments
• What's New
• Hottest 25
Legends
• Odd News
• Glossary
• FAQ
• Donations

• Autos
• Business
• Cokelore
• College
• Computers

• Crime
• Critter Country
• Disney
• Embarrassments
• Food

• Glurge Gallery
• History
• Holidays
• Horrors
• Humor

• Inboxer Rebellion
• Language
• Legal
• Lost Legends
• Love

• Luck
• Old Wives' Tales
• Media Matters
• Medical
• Military

• Movies
• Music
• Photo Gallery
• Politics
• Pregnancy

• Quotes
• Racial Rumors
• Radio & TV
• Religion
• Risqué Business

• Science
• September 11
• Sports
• Titanic
• Toxin du jour

• Travel
• Weddings

• Message Archive

Home --> Computers --> Virus Hoaxes & Realities --> Life Is Beautiful

Life Is Beautiful

Virus: Life is Beautiful.pps

Status: Hoax.

Example: [Collected on the Internet, 2002]

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 its dangerousness, and the antivirus Softs are not capable of destroying it. The virus has been created by a hacker who calls himself "life owner", and who aims to destroying 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.

Variations: Variations: In March 2008 a warning began circulating that erroneously linked the (real) 'Mail Server Report' worm with elements of the 'Life is Beautiful' virus hoax and claimed that the resulting amalgam "HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BY SNOPES":

Anyone-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 t o the Internet.

You may receive an apparently harmless e-mail titled "Mail Server Report"

If you open either 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 anti virus 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 E-MAIL TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS, And ask them to PASS IT ON IMMEDIATELY!

THIS HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BY SNOPES

http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/mailserver.asp

Snopes also advises NOT TO OPEN MAIL WITH ATTACHMENTS unless you are expecting it.

Origins: This warning about a Microsoft PowerPoint file named "Life is Beautiful" carrying a a computer-destroying virus is a hoax, one that has been with us since at least January 2002. It originally circulated in Portuguese but was later translated into English and a host of other languages.

Although this particular example is a hoax, PowerPoint presentations can contain viruses, so prudent computer users should always check downloaded or e-mailed PowerPoint presentations (and all other non-text attachments) before opening them.

In September 2002 this hoax was circulated anew as "Everything is Beautiful," and it popped up again in 2003 re-titled as "Life is Wonderful."

Additional information:

	Life is Beautiful Hoax (McAfee)
	Life is Beautiful Hoax (Symantec)

Last updated: 31 March 2008

The URL for this page is http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/life.asp

Urban Legends Reference Pages © 1995-2008 by snopes.com.
This material may not be reproduced without permission.
snopes and the snopes.com logo are registered service marks of snopes.com.