Conference 7.286::digital

    Electronic chain letters are against company policy.   Squash it,
    and hopefully others reading this will do so too.   Someone else
    can quote the policy number.

The approved policy is posted in 111.236.

I have set reply .2 hidden because it refers to an earlier, unapproved version
of the policy which I would prefer not be distributed any further!

/john

    What I do when I receive such a thing is send it back to the person
    who sent it to me, quoting the DEC policy and asking them not to
    ever send me such a note again.
    
    I also recently deleted this very letter referred to in .0 from
    a conference I moderate.  Chain letters should not be posted to
    NOTES conferences either.
    					Steve

    Send the sender 50 copies, just to prove how efficient your VAX
    really IS!
    
    Better yet, send the sender's boss 50 copies!
    
    Or should one copy be forwarded to Digital security?
    
    	RMM
    
    

    Deleting and ignoring is probably the best policy, though sending a
    copy (with a complaint) to Security wouldn't hurt (you, that is).
    
    If you know the sender's supervisor, definitely send him/her a copy
    with a complaint. (Copy the offender; no point in subtlety.) 
    
    The network is swamped enough without this kind of crud. Don't
    react in kind (sending back 50 copies to the sender) - you'll
    be doing exactly what the policy is trying to prevent.

    I suggest you send a note to the sender, telling him/her that you
    don't appreciate receiving chain letters, and that it is against
    company policy to send such letters.
    
    To take the drastic step at this point of sending a copy to security
    and the person's boss is not approriate. Maybe the person sent it
    out of ignorance, and doesn't realize the cost to the network.
    
    Certainly the network is busy enough without having to deal with
    junk mail. But I believe common-sense protocol dictates that you
    first try to work it out with the sender, and if that doesn't work
    THEN contact the sender's boss, and THEN security.
    
    -Mike
    

    How do you justify sending it back to?  Do you believe in tit-for-tat?

    Gad, I think I just got this via INFO-VAX.   I checked the forwarding
    history, and as far as I can DEC is clean.   The last time someone
    did that, they were threatened with an ARPA-plug-pulling (and I
    think the last time, it was us).

re .9:

It may be us again.  The copy I got had about 20 forwardings, and the earliest
one was someone in DEC who sent the copy to someone on USENET as well as
several people in DEC.  It appeared to be an ULTRIX machine since it sent the
file directly to someone on USENET rather than using the RHEA::DECWRL gateway,
so (maybe) that won't be threatened.

-Mike

    re .0 : 
    
    funny, I just got this item as well, and logged in here to protest
    the promulgation of this crap.. loading the E-net and people's disk
    space.. 
    
    right in the old dumper, just like paper chain letters !
    
    karl moeller

Just deleting the chain letter if you get one seems like a good solution.
Quoting P&Ps to the forwarders seems a little excessive, but if it makes 
you feel good about yourself, well, so be it. It won't clutter up the net
too much!

My problem is with a different sort of "chain letter". Often I'll see some
"neat" note in a conference, or some nifty or humourous hack in a Usenet
posting. Then, over the next few days (up to a week), I'll receive n
copies of the note/posting/whatever in mail from well-intentioned fellow 
engineers with subjects like "have you seen this?" or "Neato" or "Surf's up!"
or "Thought this would amuse you...".  

ARGHHH!  And people get so hurt when you say "Take me off your damn 
distribution list, please". 

Now, does ths sort of multi-forwarded mail fall under the umbrella of "chain
letters"??? :-)  Maybe it should!

		Nigel

        I sent a short "this is against policy--don't send them to me",
        and got back a nice note telling me that my mail arrived after
        he'd already been taken on the carpet by his boss, but thanking
        me for my message. It made me glad that I hadn't forwarded it to
        someone official or just ignored it. People make mistakes.
        There's no need to cause trouble for well-meaning fellow workers
        who just need to be informed. 
        
        JimB.

    re .12 (Conliffe)
    I would not consider those mailings 'chain letters'.  Chains are
    a specific entity.  That sort of mailing would be more at electronic
    junk mail; if that.  If the notes are entertainment types (jokes,
    trivia, et al) then you might suggest to the senders to not send
    to you any more.  If it's engineering, or other work related, material,
    then it's more a matter of skill with the delete key...

I received this chain letter from my supervisor! ... he got it from his
Manager who got it from - guess where - his Manager!!!!!

I sent my supervisor a message mentioning the policy and deleted the message.

Nothing heard since....

jb

	I received this chain letter a few days ago, and immediately
	put this in the system-wide login message on both systems
	we have here:


PLEASE DO NOT FORWARD ANY CHAIN LETTERS YOU MAY RECEIVE VIA MAIL!!

Digital policy describes proper, and improper, use of its systems and
EasyNet.  Forwarding or otherwise distributing chain letters clearly
falls under "improper use".  If you receive a chain letter via MAIL,
please delete it.  Do not forward it.

Thank you,
Jim Stratton
                     

	I know that my phrase "clearly falls under" can be debated,
	but I'm sure none of our users would really attempt to
	debate that with me.

	A day or two later, I got an update to the P&P manual with
	the "proper use of computers" policy that I meant here,
	and that was referenced in a previous reply.

    I got one too and I simply deleted it. I'm sure that there are many
    well-meaning folks who are ignorant of the policy and of the waste
    of company resources. So if all of us who are aware just delete
    the darn things, I'm confident that the waste would be kept to a
    minimum. I didn't reply to the person who forwarded it to me, I'm
    sure they meant no harm, and when I see this person, I will casually
    mention it, I'd just rather do it in person.
    
                                                 -sunny-

    my sentiments exactly....
    jack

    Lots of folks probably remember the last chain-letter flap, about
    three years ago.  As I remember it, that letter was being circulated
    mainly by new-hires who (1) weren't aware of the policy and direc
    consequences to gateways, and (2) were still having fun with the
    power of forwarding electronic mail.  These things seem to go in
    3-5 year cycles; maybe that's how much time it takes for new hires
    to enter the system?  The same reactions reported here came up them:
    getting the word out to everyone that this wasn't proper or legal
    solved the problem.
    
    Note on reporting to security:
    
    -- if you think it was an honest mistake, then contact the person
       involved.  If you report it to security, we have to investigate,
       with potentially nasty consequences (the least of which is
       an official warning).
    
    -- if you think there's a genuine problem (blatant misuse, an outsider
       using the net, etc.), then report it.  I'd discuss it with your
       boss first, however.
    
    		-- Pete
    		   Telecommunications Network Security

        I just received this blasted thing for the *THIRD* time!! 
        But *THIS* time is was in MTS mail!  Now it will never die
        :^(
        
       _Mike

>        I just received this blasted thing for the *THIRD* time!! 
>        But *THIS* time is was in MTS mail!  Now it will never die

Right!  All MTS mail users know how to do is FORWARD!

/john

    .19:
    
>        I just received this blasted thing for the *THIRD* time!! 
>        But *THIS* time is was in MTS mail!  Now it will never die
 
    Those of use who think that MTS is the best thing since flush phones
    and pay toilets will consider this another good reason to get rid
    of MTS...
    
    Dick
    

    Warning:  this chain letter is making the rounds *again*.  Since
    it has been almost 9 months since this topic was last opened, I
    suspect many people have forgotten (or didn't realize) that such
    things are against corporate policy (guilty as charged ;-).  I hope
    that everyone with automatic 'next unseen' will see this, and it
    will help put an end to this once more.
    
    Bruce

    
    Yup, the thing hasn't died; just got a copy myself.  I informed
    the forwarders that this type of thing isn't proper, and found (not
    really to my surprise) that most had never heard of the corporate
    policy on computer usage, much less ever read it.
    
    Don't blame the forwarders -- somebody isn't getting the policy
    across!
    

    I've never seen this computerized junk mail, but I sure get a lot
    of the paper sort - don't know where the senders are getting my
    address from since I never send chain letters along or do anything
    other than throw them away - and would delete them if they appeared
    in my mail file.

  I've seen two (chain letter?) Emails this week.

  1) "TURKEY"program which will delete all your files
     is going around via Email.  Beware.

  2) A boy who is very sick likes to receive your postcards
     for the Guiness Book Record.

  I don't know the info is true or not.

  Anyway I think this kind of info is NOT suitable for indiscriminating
  Email distribution, because it causes chain letter.

  Please don't join in the chain letter circulation.

  Takao "TDK!" SHIMONO
  DEC-Japan  Project Hatena  Tokyo

>  1) "TURKEY"program which will delete all your files
>     is going around via Email.  Beware.

Don't ever run command files you don't have some reason to trust.

>  2) A boy who is very sick likes to receive your postcards
>     for the Guiness Book Record.

The boy exists, the post office in his town says the qualification period is
over, don't send cards.  BTW, the address in this week's version of the David
story is incomplete -- sort of like "St. Francis School, California, USA" --
it's missing the town.

/john

        If it is the boy in scotland, he has never existed, and the
        local post office is getting a bit sick and tired of the rumor...
        
        q
        

    That turkey didn't delete anything, just pretended to...

    Yes, the turkey was as .30 said... it _pretended_ to show you the
    DCL sequence of a program deleting everything, but it was just
    showing you text of what looked like DCL.
    
    You see, you're a turkey if you run it without looking first!
    
    (This was discussed in the Hackers conference, and the file has
    been circulating for years.  It's not a chain letter per se, just
    an instructive hack.)

    re: .31 It is RUMORED that there is a flavor of the hack that
    actually does delete random files - so continue to beware!
    
    rmm
    

    RE: TURKEY
    
    The version I've seen instructs the receiver to "TYPE @TURKEY".
    Novices might expect that TYPE @TURKEY is equivalent to TYPE TURKEY.
    
    NOT SO!
    
    TYPE @(file_name) *executes* the file.
    
    DO NOT DO THIS ever UNLESS YOU UNDERSTAND what's in the file.

re:.33
>     RE: TURKEY
>    
>    The version I've seen instructs the receiver to "TYPE @TURKEY".
>    Novices might expect that TYPE @TURKEY is equivalent to TYPE TURKEY.
>    
>    NOT SO!
>    
>    TYPE @(file_name) *executes* the file.

    No.  While it executes the command file, it doens't delete anything!
    The DECK statement means that whatever follows, until $EOD, is taken
    as data.  It is then written to the screen.  It _would_ be executed
    if the DECK statement weren't there, but it is, so it isn't...    

    Thus the file is simply a "print to screen" program whose output
    is a bunch of dangerous-looking DCL.  But it's not dangerous when
    it's only sent to the screen!

    It seems I should add well-meaning health warnings to the note below,
    originally written in our group's private conference as a synopsis
    of various replies in this topic.


================================================================================
Note 53.0    Appeals, hoaxes, chain letters, viruses, Trojan horses    2 replies
HANZI::SIMONSZETO "Simon Szeto, ABSS/FER, Hongkong"  44 lines  13-MAY-1988 11:11
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Recent mail received on the subject of sending postcards to a sick
    boy in England is only one example of how computer networks can
    be misused.  While the motivation is certainly good, and there are
    many instances where computer networks can be used for a good cause,
    conversely, sometimes this isn't so.
    
    The case of the sick boy in England, originally genuine, is now
    at best belated sympathy, at worst a cruel hoax and unnecessary
    burden for the postmaster.  There are other times when such an appeal
    is an out-and-out hoax.  There are other cases where the intention
    may be good but somewhat misguided.  The persistent hoax about the
    trademark of a certain American company being associated with the
    devil is one example that comes to mind.  (The rumor is false.)
    
    The lesson to be learned, is to be a bit more cynical and not so
    ready to believe everything you receive in your mail, electronic
    or otherwise.
    
    Specifically with regard to Digital's internal network, it is a
    misuse of the network to send and forward chain letters, particularly
    if it is for a scheme to get rich.  Even for something as worthy
    and humanitarian as helping out a sick boy [who reportedly got his
    wish already], it's a waste of company resources to forward the useless
    mail, not to mention the mail that has to be sent to correct the
    first mail.
    
    Some of you may have heard about the "turkey virus" that is being
    sent around the network.  This is also a waste of company resources.
    In addition, it is a cruel joke, whether or not it actually deletes
    all your files.
    
    Something I would like to advise everyone:  Never take a program
    from a stranger!  Don't run anything unless you are reasonably sure
    what it will do, and in any case always prepare for something bad
    to happen.
    
    There are many good tools on the network.  This is one of the benefits
    of our company and our internal network.  But we can get so used
    to benefiting from tools developed by other people that we forget
    the possible danger of running unknown software.  A word to the
    wise is sufficient.

  --Simon
    

       
       
       	It's that time of year again, the chain letter of .0 has raised
       it's ugly head again.  This note is a reminder that chain letters
       in DEC are a BIG no-no.
       
                    DON'T FORWARD CHAIN LETTERS!!!!!!
       
       	Why? read the other replies to this topic. Then go read the P&P
       manual.
       
       			P.O.'d,
       
       						mike

    Some guy forwarded some chain letter to me.  When I yelled at him,
    he told me his boss sent it to him...
    
    It does seem to go in cycles...

    
    Chain letters also make excellent intermediate carriers for viruses.
    Forwarding them to anyone is irresponsible behavior.
    
    LaDonna
    

>    Chain letters also make excellent intermediate carriers for viruses.

Bullfeathers.

> < Note 261.40 by COVERT::COVERT "John R. Covert" >
>>    Chain letters also make excellent intermediate carriers for viruses.
>
> Bullfeathers.

Perhaps not chain letters per se, but the allusion may have been to the 
junk mail of the form:  "subj: ext tt:!" 
or "subj: ext temp.lis and type @temp"

Right warning, wrong context.....

    .42:
    
    I can see it now:
    
    "Tear off the (blank) bottom third of this letter, and soak it in a
    half cup of water for an hour.  Moisten the bottom third, more or less,
    of four sheets of paper, with this water, and let them dry.  When the
    sheets are dry, use them to make your copies"...
    
    Dick