The Irish Independent today carries the story of the 10.10.10 virus.
“Fears that a computer virus could be unleased (sic!) on October 10 – 10.10.10 – are circulating on the internet, with experts warning users to be careful”, the newspaper reports with breathless urgency.
(10.10.10 has a particular significance to many in geekdom, since in the binary number system it equals fortytwo, the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything.)
Back to the Indo report, which contains lots of quotes from computer safety expert Graham Cluley of Sophos about the existence of the rumour, but no evidence from any source that such a virus has been spotted in the wild.
Meanwhile, the Sophos website contains a blog from Cluley, explaining there is no foundation to the rumour, something the article doesn’t make quite so clear.
The Independent report also mentions superstitions surrounding the number 42.
Then there’s this sentence: “Sunday will be 10.10.10, a date whose symmetry has occurred once a year since 2001 and will do so until 2012.”
It took me a while to figure out what that meant.
The article author, Harry Wallop, appears to be the Daily Telegraph consumer affairs editor.
Shame.
