The AF/91 Virus Hoax (E293)
QAA Podcast7 Sep 2024

The AF/91 Virus Hoax (E293)

This is the story of an April Fool’s Day joke that got wildly out of control. In 1991, a columnist for InfoWorld claimed that he learned of a hyper-advanced computer virus called “AF/91” that disabled Iraqi air defense systems during the first Gulf War. This virus had allegedly escaped Iraq and threatened every computer that used a windows-based graphical interface. The last line of the column revealed the truth: the story of the AF/91 virus was a fun bit of fiction for April 1st. But shortly afterwards, a journalist for U.S. News & World Report reported on a virus that sounded suspiciously similar to AF/91, based on confirmation from two government officials. Though the report was clearly based on the joke virus from InfoWorld, the publication refused to retract. So for more than a decade the story was repeated as if it were true in newspapers, magazines, and even in a report by a major think tank. The boys walk through the evolution of the strange tale of this virus hoax and speculate about why it spread so widely for so long. Subscribe for $5 a month to get all the premium episodes: http://www.patreon.com/QAA Pick up new merch! We've got a mug, a two-sided tee, a hoodie, and an embroidered hat. Each item shows off the new QAA logo by illustrator Pedro Correa. https://shopqaa.myshopify.com/ Editing by Corey Klotz. Theme by Nick Sena. Additional music by Pontus Berghe. Theme Vocals by THEY/LIVE (https://instagram.com/theyylivve / https://sptfy.com/QrDm). Cover Art by Pedro Correa: (https://pedrocorrea.com) https://qaapodcast.com QAA was known as the QAnon Anonymous podcast. REFERENCES Meta-Virus Set to Unleash Plague on Windows 3.0 Users https://books.google.com/books?id=0FAEAAAAMBAJ Computer Virus Story Proves To Be a Twice-Told Tale https://www.newspapers.com/image/532416866/ Russian Views On Electronic and Information Warfare https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/FOID/Reading%20Room/International_Security_Affairs/14-F-0564_DOC_01_RUSSIAN_VIEWS_ON_ELECTRONIC_AND_INFORMATION_WARFARE_vol_1.pdf Taking a byte from Baghdad: Information War could hobble Iraq, but might become a two edged sword https://www.newspapers.com/image/775197909/ One printer, one virus, one disabled Iraqi air defense https://www.theregister.com/2003/03/10/one_printer_one_virus_one/ Attack Of The Trojan Printers https://www.infoworld.com/article/2285234/attack-of-the-trojan-printers.html

Episoder(500)

It's Joever feat Ettingermentum (Premium E253) Sample

It's Joever feat Ettingermentum (Premium E253) Sample

Biden out, Harris in. Conspiracy theories metastasize as the democratic candidate (and current President) calls it quits and coronates his Vice President. The right spreads conspiracy theories about J...

26 Jul 202411min

The Bolsonaro Crime Family feat Caio Almendra (E287)

The Bolsonaro Crime Family feat Caio Almendra (E287)

This week we’re heading to a Brazilian hospital — more specifically, the bedside of former President Jair Bolsonaro — to bring you an exploration of the disgraced, grotesque and criminal Bolsonaro fam...

25 Jul 20241h 7min

Neuro-Linguistic Podcasting (Premium E252) Sample

Neuro-Linguistic Podcasting (Premium E252) Sample

Have you ever wondered what it’d be like to erase negative thoughts, win every argument, and close every sale? Travis and Brad take you through the sordid tale of a self-help movement that’s equal par...

19 Jul 202410min

Trump Shot (E286)

Trump Shot (E286)

It’s only July, and our already terrifying election season has somehow gotten far worse than even the QAA hosts could imagine. Join Jake, Travis, Liv, and Julian for an emergency recording following ...

16 Jul 202456min

Agent Buried Alive (Premium E251) Sample

Agent Buried Alive (Premium E251) Sample

An in-depth look into the life, lore, and legal troubles of James Casbolt – a British man who claimed to have been indoctrinated into an NSA Super Soldier program at the age of five. We’ll cover some...

11 Jul 202410min

Studying the Black Pill feat Elle Reeve (E285)

Studying the Black Pill feat Elle Reeve (E285)

We explore how disaffected young men anonymously posting memes online led to real-life violence including multiple mass murders, the forming of what came to be known as the alt-right movement, a seism...

5 Jul 20241h 3min

Melted Election Season feat Dave Weigel (Premium E250) Sample

Melted Election Season feat Dave Weigel (Premium E250) Sample

In the wake of a disastrous debate, the presidential elections enter terra incognita. We attempt to contextualize the situation with journalist and repeat guest Dave Weigel, who has a deep knowledge o...

3 Jul 20249min

No Country for French Boomers feat Anthony Mansuy (E284)

No Country for French Boomers feat Anthony Mansuy (E284)

Self-exiled French conspiracy theorists attempt to set up a sovereign utopia in a desolate Bulgarian village called Mamarchevo. This turns into death threats, people getting scammed out of tens of tho...

29 Jun 202455min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
aftenpodden-usa
forklart
popradet
stopp-verden
det-store-bildet
fotballpodden-2
nokon-ma-ga
dine-penger-pengeradet
rss-gukild-johaug
hanna-de-heldige
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
rss-ness
aftenbla-bla
rss-dannet-uten-piano
rss-utenrikskomiteen-med-bogen-og-grasvik
chit-chat-med-helle
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
e24-podden