The World Wide Web was developed by the Department of Defense in order to insure their continued existence. Sounds cool. Maybe it’s true? When you opened this document you were prompted with a Warning dialog box. It said that the document that you are opening contains macros and customizations. Some macros may contain viruses that could harm your computer. If you are sure this document is from a trusted source, click Enable Macros. If you are not sure and want to prevent any macros from running, click Disable Macros. I hope that you clicked Disable Macros! The macro in this document contained a very harmful virus, a very new and modern harmful virus. See what can happen if you clicked Enable Macros and it is not from a reliable source (Jesus, what’s a reliable source now a days?).

What, you didn’t get the Warning dialog box? What? That’s impossible. You should have gotten the Warning dialog box and you should have clicked the Disable Macros button. You’re kidding me, you didn’t get the Warning? Now your computer has the virus. Why didn’t you click the Disable Macros button? Well, run your virus scan and it will clean up your machine. Better go to the vendors web site and download the latest virus list. Now run the virus scan. You better inform your network support and services because it might have infected your corporate network.

You did it now; you infected the whole company. Damn it these things spread at the speed of light. God knows where it is now. Better make that phone call. Why didn’t you click the Disable Macros button? I told you too in the email that it had this attachment and to disable the macro.

Did you forward this article to anyone else? Better tell them that it contains a virus and they better click the Disable Macros button. Hurry. I also forwarded it to many people. Man O Man, I hope that people read before they click.

I just remembered I didn’t tell you in the email that the document contained a virus... oops. Well, you clicked the Disable Macros button. Thank God. If that virus spread to your computer and then to the network you might have caused millions of dollars in damages. Better tell the IS department they need to contain this thing. Start scanning the servers.

I just remembered something else. I figured out how to disable the Warning dialog box so... now don’t get mad, you were never prompted with Warning dialog box. You just released the virus without even knowing about it. You fool, don’t open attachments from strangers. I even know that rule.

At this point you don’t know how to respond. A fool will just let it go and think nothing happened, my computer was not infected. More intelligent people will take defensive action. Rule number one, assume nothing. No matter what happens I just forced you to react to a threat, a mental virus. What this is called is Mental Terrorism or a mental virus. I phucked your mind and forced you to react. You had to react, period! You have to have a defense in this situation. The threat is more real then you realize. Technology is advancing so quickly how do you know that I didn’t figure out a way to disable the warning? You can’t assume that nobody has the skills to do this. I just did it, and I did it to you. This M$ Word document didn’t prompt you with the Warning dialog box. The first thing I do is change you system time by 5 seconds. I spun your hard drive. I clear a register. Then I planted a Weed that uses a very small amount of your computer’s resources. I am also checking for an Internet connection and if found will send an email to a zombie server that will monitor the weeds existence. Oh and you can spread this virus via email. Hurry up and clean up your machine.

Now it’s not funny anymore is it. You are starting to get pissed off. Maybe you are a fool and you don’t care. You better because that virus is going to send an email, if you try to destroy it, with all the information it can get from your computer about you, right to the CIA’s email server. The email will state that you are a tax evading pedophile that is going to blow up a train station in your hometown if you don’t get to have sex with the Presidents daughter. You’re in trouble now.

Hold on there cowboy or cowgirl this document didn’t contain a virus. I just want to play some mental mind games with you and your company. I sent you a mental virus. So what if it cost you money to assume a defensive position, but what the heck it’s not my money. A mental virus sent via the World Wide Web. You don’t know what’s real and what’s not. It’s called Mental Terrorism on the World Wide Web. It is the mental virus. What’s next?

Mental Terrorism is heading our way on the World Wide Web. It’s coming at us like a high-speed train. The World Wide Web brings us unlimited possibilities but also brings us unlimited terror and fear. Better tighten up your security procedures and security defensives. If you still don’t believe me then look at the media. They are always playing mind games and applying spin control to everything they write. The only paper I believe is the Onion. Just kidding.

I wrote this article because back in 1985 I wrote a little application that generated six lottery numbers. It was a very simple application. It looked cool and helped people have a little fun at work or home. When the user exited from the application I prompted the user for a password. Of course nothing they entered was correct. There was no correct password. I forced them to hit the cancel button. When the user hit the cancel button I displayed a dialog box. The dialog box declared them a software pirate. The application spun their hard drive and then stated that a virus has been released on their computer. It was all a joke. There was no virus released, it was a hoax. My friend took the application to work and distributed it around to different friends who also distributed to their friends and so on. Well, I’m sitting at home drinking a beer and I get a phone call from my friend. What virus did the application release? He then stated that he is not fooling around. This was a defense company in Southern California. I explained that there was no virus it was a joke, but still they had to launch a defensive ($$$). Sucks to be them. He is not my friend anymore.

You have to protect against these kinds of attacks and build your security to protect your networks, systems, and applications because the mental virus is coming I can see the light. I really hope this article forced you to think and further your security rules.

oubug