RE: Internet hoax sees China invade Japan

["Rob, grandpa of Ryan, Trevor, Devon & Hannah" <rslade () sprint ca>]

Date sent:              Wed, 19 Oct 2005 11:22:57 -0700
From:                   "Jason Geffner" <jasongef () microsoft com>

> Could've been another one of these:
> http://www.snopes.com/humor/iftrue/insider.htm
>
> Long story short, The Weekly World News (a tabloid) printed a bogus
> article that Yahoo then reprinted on Yahoo's website. Other legit news
> agencies saw the article on Yahoo's site, didn't realize that the story
> was bogus, and then reprinted the story as legit.

Actually, we had one in the malware world, the "Desert Storm" virus.  Again, 
abbreviating tremendously:

- someone (InfoWorld?  April 1991 edition) prints an April Fools hoax story 
about the US/CIA/NSA/whomever planting a virus in a printer that shuts down the 
Iraqi air defence system prior to Desert Storm (the story was actually lampooning 
the then new Windows version (3.1?)

- a year after Desert Storm, US News & World Report produces a book about 
Desert Storm that cites the story

- book gets all kinds of press

- AV types point out that the story is technically questionable and likely untrue

- press types go to Pentagon press office and query story

- Pentagon confirms story--presumably based on evidence of USN&WR book ...

======================  (quote inserted randomly by Pegasus Mailer)
rslade () vcn bc ca      slade () victoria tc ca      rslade () sun soci niu edu
Did you ever notice that everyone in favour of abortion has
    already been born?                         - Benny Hill
http://victoria.tc.ca/techrev    or    http://sun.soci.niu.edu/~rslade

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