Fact Check

MyLife Virus

Information about the MyLife worm.

Published April 5, 2002

Claim:

Virus:   MyLife (also known as W32.MyLife.C@mm)


Status:   Real.

Example:   [Collected on the Internet, 2002]








Origins:   MyLife is a mass-mailing worm that arrives in messages similar to the one quoted above (complete with a phony footer that attempts to fool users by claiming that no "viruse" [sic] was found by virus-scanning software) as the attachment List.TXT.scr. When executed, the worm produces an error message like the one shown below, then mails itself to all e-mail addresses found in the infected user's Microsoft Outlook address book and MSN Messenger contact list.

MyLife also periodically attempts to format drives and delete files.

Instructions on how to detect and remove MyLife can be found in the links below.

Additional Information:







    W32.MyLife.C@mm   W32.MyLife.C@mm   (Symantec)
    W32/MyLife.c@MM   W32/MyLife.c@MM   (McAfee Virus Information Library)

Last updated:   28 January 2008


David Mikkelson founded the site now known as snopes.com back in 1994.