Compu-Fix/Compu-Fix.iso/misc/mich/michtime.txt

Text File | 1993-03-01 | 21.6 KB | 387 lines

                              Michelangelo fiasco:
                              a historical timeline


       Copyright 1992 by Rob Rosenberger; all rights reserved.  Some
       quotes obtained from copyrighted stories published by the
       Associated Press, United Press International, Reuters News Service,
       and Washington Post.  Contact Rob Rosenberger at P.O. Box 643,
       O'Fallon, IL 62269.  This copy printed on 3/18/92.

 1/28/92  Newswire reports say Leading Edge shipped up to 500 computers in
          December with the Michelangelo virus.  It apparently came from a
          third-party subcontractor; an alert customer detected it.

 1/28/92  Osicom Technologies announces it will bundle an antivirus package
          with all personal computers.

 1/29/92  UPI reporter Jack Lesar files a newswire saying "the Michelangelo
          Virus could erase data from hard disks of hundreds of thousands of
          computers around the world on Michelangelo's birthday, March 6."
          Winn Schwartau, executive director of the Nashville-based
          International Partnership Against Computer Terrorism, attributes
          magical powers to the virus: "`It's usually been a rule that a
          virus can't be propagated by just reading from a data disk. But in
          this case it appears to no longer be true,' said Schwartau. `You
          may consciously just be reviewing data, not moving data, but the
          virus is hidden and executable and it's doing its thing.'"
             Interestingly, the report continues: "[John] McAfee said the
          Michelangelo Virus is the third most common in terms of reports of
          infection.  It accounts for 14 percent of infection reports -- a
          total of about 6,000 last year. And he notes the figure represents
          the number of sites at which infection has been reported -- each of
          which may have one machine, or 100."

 2/3/92   Newswire reports say Da Vinci Systems distributed about 900 disks
          infected with the Michelangelo virus during January.

 2/11/92  Reuters reporter Wilson da Silva files the first newswire saying
          the Michelangelo virus resides on "millions of personal computers
          around the world."  The estimate -- five million worldwide -- comes
          from John McAfee.  In the story, researcher Wayne Boxall of
          Australia's Computer Virus Information Group erroneously states the
          virus spreads via computer bulletin boards.

 2/13/92  Microcom announces it has released a free program to disinfect the
          Michelangelo virus.  The program also detects (but does not
          disinfect) 668 other viruses.

 2/17/92  Washington Post reporter John Burgess writes a Michelangelo story
          questioning gigantic estimates and the role of people who made
          those claims.  "It remains unclear whether large numbers of
          computers contain undetected copies of the virus, though estimates
          of millions of machines have been published in the news media...
          Past scares about viruses often have proven to be overblown.
             "`I'm finding virus catastrophes everywhere,' said Martin Tibor,
          a data recovery consultant in San Rafael, Calif., whose repeated
          calls to the media after the Leading Edge incident helped publicize
          Michelangelo. `These things are replicating like crazy.'
             "Consultant Tibor conceded that the calls he made to the media
          about Michelangelo were in part motivated by hopes of bringing
          business his way -- it in fact brought in only one client, he said.
          But his main motivation, Tibor said, was to get the word out about
          a serious computer danger.  `I see the victims of viruses all the
          time,' he said."

 2/18/92  Leading Edge announces it will provide free antivirus software with
          its entire line of computers.  "Because of the increasing number of
          computer virus outbreaks throughout the industry, no one should
          assume that software they acquire will be free from infection,"
          claims president Albert J. Agbay.

 2/19/92  Symantec announces it has released a free program to disinfect the
          Michelangelo virus.  Symantec's software searches for no other
          viruses (though it pretends to), unlike Microcom's free program
          which detects 669 different infections.  Symantec also purchases a
          full-page ad in Computerworld's 2/24 issue to warn readers about
          the virus.

 2/21/92  Chris Torchia files an AP newswire describing how Michelangelo
          "could send millions of computer users around the world through the
          ceiling."  Tori Case, product manager for Central Point Software (a
          McAfee competitor), claims as many as five million computers
          worldwide may suffer, including 500,000 in the United States.

 2/24/92  The artist Michelangelo would have turned either 516 or 517 years
          old this March -- newswires no longer agree on his age.

 2/24/92  Computer columnist Lawrence Magid offers dangerous advice when he
          tells readers they can avoid Michelangelo's devastating effects if
          they activate a computer "on March 5 and leave it running until
          March 7."  Magid claims viruses travel by computer bulletin board,
          then oddly advises readers to download antivirus software from a
          bulletin board.

 2/28/92  An executive with Fuji's floppy disk division makes the newswires
          by offering advice on how to detect Michelangelo.

 2/28/92  Egghead offers to ship a copy of "the special `Norton AntiVirus
          Michelangelo Edition' for just $4.99."  They also offer to send "a
          free brochure about computer viruses," but some customers will
          complain it arrived more than a week after the Michelangelo threat
          had passed.

 3/2/92   John McAfee, after previously claiming five million computers have
          Michelangelo, appears on the "Today" show and says "there are over
          a million systems infected now."  McAfee doesn't use the word
          "estimate," though he may have meant to.

 3/2/92   Intel Corp. ceases shipment of its LANSpool program after
          discovering 839 packages carried Michelangelo.  "Basically, we were
          using anti-virus software that could not detect the latest
          generation of the virus," said spokesman Mark Christensen.
          Ironically, the company will send a free copy of its $995
          LANProtect software to anyone who received an infected LANSpool
          package.

 3/2/92   AP writer Laura Myers files a story authoritatively stating
          Michelangelo "lies dormant in an estimated 5 million IBM-compatible
          personal computers worldwide."  The story incudes quotes from John
          McAfee & Martin Tibor.

 3/2/92   Computer columnist Lawrence Magid clarifies his advice to leave
          computers on through March 7 so as to avoid Michelangelo's
          devastating effects.  "This will work in most cases, but if there
          is a power failure, many personal computers will automatically
          reboot themselves.  Thus, a power failure on March 6 would have the
          same effect as turning on the computer."

 3/2/92   ABC's Ted Koppel devotes a "Nightline" episode to Michelangelo with
          a lead-in announcement of how it "could be devastating, destroying
          the memories of millions of computers around the world...  I just
          wanted you to understand I'm coming at [this broadcast] with a
          wealth of ignorance."  John McAfee, Patricia Hoffman, and Martin
          Tibor contribute to the lead-in story, with Tibor ominously stating
          "[viruses are] the equivalent of doing germ warfare in your own
          neighborhood."

 3/3/92   A Reuters reporter files another erroneous newswire claiming
          Michelangelo spreads via computer bulletin boards.

 3/3/92   "Good Morning America" science editor Michael Gillan claims "as
          viruses go, there aren't that many reported incidents [of
          Michelangelo]...but there is an enormous fear factor."
          Unfortunately, he advises viewers to leave computers running from
          March 5 to March 7, following in the dangerous footsteps of
          computer columnist Lawrence Magid.

 3/3/92   Reuters reports Intel stock has dropped $0.50 below its $65.75
          close from the day before.  "While Intel is to unveil new versions
          of its most powerful computer chips later today -- the 486 DX2
          microprocessor -- dealers said the shares eased on news Intel had
          ceased shipment of its LANSpool 3.01 print server utility because
          some units were found to be infected with the `Michelangelo'
          virus."

 3/3/92   Another Reuters report about the Michelangelo virus mistakenly
          claims "it spreads via computer bulletin boards."

 3/3/92   CompuServe's electronic newspaper, Online Today, erroneously
          reports the Michelangelo virus spreads via online services such as
          CompuServe.  Management will later pull the embarrassing "GO
          OLT-93" story after receiving complaints from alert readers.

 3/3/92   AP writer Laura Myers files a sensationalist story on Michelangelo.
          Many TV news anchors read the first paragraph verbatim: "Do you
          know where that floppy disk has been?  Taking a page from safe sex
          manuals, experts are warning computer users to practice safe
          computing because of viruses like one called Michelangelo, which
          could trigger millions of computer crashes and erase data on hard
          disks this week."  TV anchors then follow with the authoritative
          statement: "The virus lies dormant in an estimated 5 million IBM-
          compatible personal computers worldwide and is poised to strike on
          Friday, the artist's birthdate."

 3/3/92   Reuters reporter Steve James files a newswire from Bonn, Germany
          with Michelangelo estimates in the tens of millions just for the
          United States.  "Hamburg University computer virus expert Klaus
          Brunnstein estimates that 15% of all Personal Computers (PCs) in
          Germany -- around half a million -- are infected and will lose
          their data banks on Friday.  He also said that 30% of PCs in
          Britain and 25% in the United States [about 15 million] are
          believed to have been infected by the Michelangelo virus, as a
          result of pirated computer games and infected original floppy
          discs."

 3/3/92   The AP ominously reports "the Michelangelo computer virus has
          invaded Capitol Hill, sending congressional staffers scurrying for
          a cure before Friday's trigger date."

 3/3/92   John McAfee appears in the AP daily quotes column: "This is one of
          the most widespread viruses.  It's out there in a large way and
          could cause lots of damage if it isn't stopped."  The quote comes
          from various newswire stories filed by AP reporter Laura Myers.

 3/3/92   A Reuters newswire by David Morgan claims John McAfee receives
          "about 120 reports [worldwide] of Michelangelo infection a day,"
          prompting some experts to ask how this could justify McAfee's
          previous estimates of five million.  Morgan's story also claims
          "computer viruses, which first appeared nine years ago, are now
          growing in number at a rate of about six a day" and that "some
          experts say the recent proliferation of viruses has much to do with
          the fall of communism in eastern Europe, specifically Bulgaria."

 3/3/92   A Reuters newswire says "Poland's biggest daily [newspaper] carried
          a front page story headlined `Michelangelo, The Mass Murderer, Will
          Attack On Friday.'"  Later reports will detail panicked efforts by
          Polish citizens to obtain antivirus software.

 3/4/92   Ross Greenberg, the programmer behind Microcom's Virex-PC package,
          takes an unscheduled four-day vacation.  "Nobody [in the mass
          media] likes to hear somebody say `Make a backup.  Type FDISK /MBR.
          Go away.'  Headlines such as `Virus Eats Planet Earth' sell more
          papers," he will say upon return.

 3/4/92   Numerous reporters log onto CompuServe, GEnie, America Online, and
          Prodigy to ask the same question: "Want to be interviewed for a
          story on the Michelangelo virus?"  One USA Today reporter,
          expecting an avalanche of calls, asks people not to tie up his
          phone unless they actually get hurt by the virus on March 6.

 3/4/92   The AP shifts its focus on Michelangelo after receiving phone calls
          from outraged virus experts.  Stories now begin to center on the
          fear sweeping the world rather than the virus.  Bart Ziegler files
          the first AP report with contradictory opinions of the situation:
          "`You're more likely to spill a cup of coffee on your keyboard than
          to get this virus,' said Peter Tippett, chairman of Certus
          International Inc., a maker of anti-virus software.  `There's
          definitely hysteria,' said Marianne Guntow, a computer analyst at
          the University of Chicago."

 3/4/92   Multiple UPI newswires erroneously claim Michelangelo spreads via
          computer bulletin boards.

 3/5/92   Scattered reports from around the globe say Michelangelo triggered
          a day early due to a fluke in some computers.  Their internal
          clocks ignore leap days and changed to March 1, 1992 a day
          too soon.

 3/5/92   AP reporter Robert Dvorchak files the first major newswire with a
          lead-off paragraph questioning impending sabotage estimates.
          "Computer users took precautions to disinfect their machines from a
          virus set to strike on Michelangelo's birthday Friday, although
          some experts did not expect widespread damage from the electronic
          prank."

 3/5/92   UPI reporter Joe Fasbinder files a newswire claiming the pending
          devastation from Michelangelo "is certainly expected to be in the
          millions of dollars.  In addition to the data lost to the virus,
          millions of dollars in employee time will be needed to re-install
          damaged software."

 3/6/92   V-DAY ARRIVES!? Yet while fear over Michelangelo continues, the
          major newswires echo similar stories about a fizzled event.
          Reuters: "As March 6 dawned in Asia, New Zealand reported scattered
          infections by the virus -- but there was more media hype than
          electronic havoc."  Associated Press: "Personal computer users
          reported scattered outbreaks today of the Michelangelo virus but no
          widespread damage from the much-hyped software invader."  UPI: "The
          long-awaited Michelangelo virus struck around the world Friday,
          though it did not appear to be the data disaster that some had
          predicted."

 3/6/92   A Reuters newswire claims Michelangelo "was unwittingly spread
          round the world by a single Taiwanese software copying house, Dutch
          police said on Friday.  `Taiwan is the source of the mass
          distribution of the virus,' police computer fraud expert Loek Weerd
          told Reuters.  `The Taiwanese authorities have not so far given us
          the name of the software copy house,' Weerd said."

 3/6/92   In a freak coincidence, 1,200 automated teller machines in New York
          shut down due to a power outage.  In another freak coincidence,
          three-fourths of New Jersey's computerized lottery ticket machines
          shut down because of a computer glitch.  Panicked customers
          incorrectly blame Michelangelo for the problems.

 3/6/92   Various UPI newswires finally explain Michelangelo doesn't spread
          via computer bulletin boards.

 3/6/92   Reuters now reports John McAfee "estimated at least 10,000
          computers had been hit worldwide" by Michelangelo, in stark
          contrast to previous Reuters stories where he had estimated five
          million.  Other newswire reports mention McAfee's name while
          outlining a worldwide "media hype" campaign.

 3/6/92   AP reporter Bart Ziegler files a scathing newswire: "The day of
          techno-doom turned out to be a dud...  For days, news media relayed
          forecasts of impending doom from Michelangelo.  The story had all
          the right elements: a mysterious invader with a sexy name that
          could cause havoc by a definite deadline in machines relied upon by
          millions.  The reports often failed to mention that many
          projections of potential damage were provided by companies that
          make anti-viral software and stood to benefit from the scare.
             "One source was John McAfee of McAfee Associates, the largest
          seller of virus-killing programs.  McAfee was widely quoted as
          saying Michelangelo had infected up to 5 million computers
          worldwide.  Asked Friday whether he had overstated the case, he
          said the low rate of actual Michelangelo damage was due partly to
          precautions so many PC users took."

 3/6/92   Symantec claims over 250,000 users around the world obtained a copy
          of their free Michelangelo disinfector program.  Of the online
          services, Prodigy and GEnie charged nothing for customers to
          download special antivirus packages; CompuServe pocketed its
          regular hourly connect fees for the service.

 3/6/92   Michelangelo gets another mention in the AP daily quotes column,
          this time downplaying the scare -- "`It has been overhyped, without
          question.'  Charles Rutstein, staff researcher for the National
          Computer Security Association, as computer users braced for a
          computer virus to strike on Michelangelo's birthday Friday."

 3/6/92   But while NCSA's Charles Rutstein may have called Michelangelo
          "overhyped, without question," he praised it in a public message to
          one of John McAfee's employees.  "It really doesn't matter that
          much any more [how many had the virus].  I think we can all give
          McAfee Associates...a round of applause...  Regardless of the
          amount of hype, if it helped to save one critical machine at, say,
          a hospital, I feel that the hype is justified."

 3/6/92   AT&T reports Michelangelo erased data on two -- yes, "two" --
          computers.  A spokesman claims the company operates about 250,000
          IBM PCs around the world.

 3/7/92   Another person rationalizes the hype in the AP daily quotes column:
          "`I'd say we would have had serious problems if we hadn't been so
          worried by all the hype.'  Joe Pujals, California's computer
          information manager, on the minimal effect the Michelangelo virus
          had on computers."

 3/7/92   All major newswires cease reporting about computer viruses by
          6:00am Eastern time.

 3/8/92   Microcom's Ross Greenberg returns from his abrupt vacation.

 3/8/92   No newswire service files a story about computer viruses.

 3/9/92   John McAfee resigns from the National Computer Security Association
          on the first business day after the Michelangelo media fiasco.
          Patricia Hoffman also resigns, but only from the Washington branch
          -- she does not withdraw from NCSA's Pennsylvania branch.  NCSA
          will suppress knowledge of the resignations for more than a week.

 3/9/92   No newswire service files a story about computer viruses.

 3/10/92  No newswire service files a story about computer viruses.  However,
          Reuters mentions them in passing as part of a story on counterfeit
          software: "[Microsoft] said buyers of counterfeit software risk the
          possible consequences of using defective products and contracting
          software viruses."

 3/11/92  Microcom announces it has released an updated version of its free
          program, this one with ability to disinfect the Maltese Amoeba
          virus.  It also detects (but does not disinfect) 723 other viruses.

 3/11/92  No newswire service files a story about computer viruses.

 3/12/92  John McAfee fails to appear at the fifth annual Data Processing
          Management Association conference in New York.  DPMA scheduled him
          several months in advance to speak on the computer virus threat.

 3/12/92  No newswire service files a story about computer viruses.

 3/13/92  Scheduled activation date for the Friday the 13th virus.  No
          newswire service files a story about computer viruses -- an
          interesting change considering the media's hype about Friday the
          13th in October 1989 and as a footnote to many Michelangelo-related
          stories.

 3/14/92  No newswire service files a story about computer viruses.

 3/15/92  Scheduled activation date for the Maltese Amoeba virus.  No
          newswire service files a story about computer viruses -- another
          interesting change considering the media's hype about Maltese
          Amoeba as a footnote to many Michelangelo-related stories.

 3/16/92  No newswire service files a story about computer viruses.

 3/17/92  No newswire service files a story about computer viruses.


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