Computer Viruses and "False Authority Syndrome"

The worldwide Michelangelo virus scare of 1992

Michelangelo remained an obscure threat until January of 1992, when a major U.S. computer manufacturer announced it accidentally shipped 500 PCs carrying the virus. Another computer manufacturer issued a press release the same day announcing their decision to include antivirus software with every computer.

This coincidence probably intrigued the major newswires; reporters sniffed for a story. United Press International found one when it talked to a group calling itself the "International Partnership Against Computer Terrorism." They also interviewed antivirus mogul John McAfee (himself no stranger to the media). UPI filed a newswire saying "hundreds of thousands of computers around the world" might fall victim to Michelangelo on March 6.

A few days later, another major company admitted it accidentally distributed 900 floppy disks infected with Michelangelo. Then a Reuters reporter filed a newswire claiming the virus resided on "millions of personal computers around the world," with an estimate of five million attributed to John McAfee. A "data recovery consultant" named Martin Tibor started getting media attention around this time, offering quotes like "I'm finding virus catastrophes everywhere" and "I see the victims of viruses all the time."

Antivirus firms snapped to attention as the media grew fascinated with Michelangelo. Symantec scored a publicity coup when it ran a full-page ad announcing a free detection utility. Representatives from antivirus firms -- some of them employed in marketing departments -- called Michelangelo a "very serious threat."

Newspapers and TV stations ran "local impact" stories with quotes largely supplied by local computer salesmen. These "experts" simply parroted what they'd read in newspapers the previous day. Hysteria swept across the planet as frightened users drained store shelves of antivirus software. When the software dried up, customers purchased books about viruses.

Many virus experts dismissed the hysteria as unwarranted, but reporters wouldn't listen.

Many virus researchers dismissed the hysteria as unwarranted, but reporters wouldn't listen to them. Stories about Michelangelo rarely questioned the astronomical estimates. And estimates about the impending disaster continued to rise -- a Reuters newswire at the height of the scare claimed one out of four PCs in the U.S. would fall prey to Michelangelo!

The tide of reporting changed on March 4 -- just two days before "M-Day" -- when an Associated Press editor finally listened to furious experts. Newswire stories started to focus on the fear sweeping the world rather than the virus itself. But this didn't stop the incredible hysteria.

March 6 came in like a lion... and went out like a lamb. Worldwide reports ranged from 10,000 to 20,000 computers, not five million. Perplexed reporters phoned experts who accurately predicted Michelangelo's impact. "Why did everybody else claim five million?" a reporter would ask. "Because you talked to all the wrong people, that's why," the expert would respond.

The Michelangelo virus had turned into a worldwide media fiasco. Red-faced newswire agencies stopped reporting about it the very next day. Indeed, all major newswires stopped reporting it by 6am Eastern time the next day! They didn't run a single story about computer viruses for the next 13 days.

OPINIONS ABOUT THIS fiasco fall into two groups. Those who gave estimates in the millions say publicity itself made all the difference. They believe computer users learned about Michelangelo before it wreaked havoc. These people do have a point: the virus attacked 10,000 or more PCs despite worldwide hysteria.

Experts who predicted in the thousands point to data showing Michelangelo never had a big foothold -- it just had big publicity. They believe fear about the virus created numerous "false reports" when users panicked at the first sign of an odd computer behavior. The experts do have a point: panicky users often inflict damage on their computers and then blame it on a virus.

Update: 1997 (five years later)

• Graham Cluley: "zero" incidents confirmed by Dr. Solomon's Software
• David M. Chess: "I believe it was zero" incidents confirmed by IBM
• Wolfgang Stiller: "zero" incidents confirmed by Stiller Research
• Chenji "Jimmy" Kuo: "zero" incidents confirmed by McAfee Associates (now Network Associates)
• Dan Schrader: "zero" incidents confirmed by Cheyenne Software

Update: 1998 (six years later)

• Wolfgang Stiller: "zero" incidents confirmed by Stiller Research
• Graham Cluley: "a big fat zero" incidents confirmed by Dr. Solomon's Software ("as expected")
• David M. Chess: "I believe zero" incidents confirmed by IBM ("I wouldn't be surprised if it stayed zero")
• Chenji "Jimmy" Kuo: "zero" incidents confirmed by Network Associates ("and I would be surprised to see even one")
• Alex Haddox: "two" incidents confirmed at Symantec

"Each year at this time, McAfee Labs gets dozens of inquiries from PC users inquiring about the Michelangelo virus... [It] is almost dead, and when it finally dies it will leave no treasures behind."

"The most well-known computer virus in the world is officially a non-threat. Worldwide, the Symantec AntiVirus Research Center received only two confirmed reports of damage caused by the Michelangelo virus this March 6th."

"Michelangelo is an IQ test you can use to gauge the acumen of your local newspaper's tech editors and reporters. If they run a story on it six years after it flopped -- they flunk."

For further reading

• Brock N. Meeks: Time magazine's credibility is hemorrhaging