CAUTION: MALICIOUS "AIDS" COMPUTER DISK

Widespread news reports have warned that an "AIDS Information Diskette" mailed to thousands of computer users actually contains a malicious program to destroy other data in the computer. The disk is for IBM PC-compatible personal computers.

The disk was mailed from "PC Cyborg Corp.," a company which may not exist. A Panama City address included with the program was fictitious.

The malicious program is not technically a computer virus, because it does not spread from computer to computer. The program appears to involve no great technical sophistication. What is unusual about this case is that someone appears to have spent over a hundred thousand dollars to package and promote a destructive program, with no apparent motive. The disk was sent primarily to mailing lists of computer users, and to health professionals.

Anyone who receives a copy of the disk should destroy it, so that it is not accidentally installed in any computer.