How to Create a Fake and Harmless Virus

Do you want to play a trick on your friends? Try this shocking but harmless virus. Read on to find out how to execute it.

Part 1 of 2: Building the Virus

1.   Run Notepad. Notepad will allow you to input text with very little formatting. Click Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Notepad.

• If  you're on a Mac, use TextEdit.

2.   Input a small batch file. Put the following into your text file (without the bullets):

• @echo off
• echo Message here.
• shutdown -s -f -t 60 -c "type a message you want to appear here."

3.   Click File, then Save As.

4.   Name your file.

5.  Change the .txt extension to .bat or .cmd. 

6.  Change the ".txt bar" to "All Files".

7.  Click Save.

8.  Close Notepad.

Part 2 of 2: Making a Fake Icon

1.   Right click on the desktop and go over to "New," then click "Shortcut".

2.     For the location of the shortcut, choose your virus.

3.    Click "Next".

4.    Give the shortcut a name that your victim will or might click on.

5.    Click on "Finish".

6.   Right click on the shortcut you have just made and choose "Properties".

7.   Click on the "Choose icon" button and scroll through the list of icons.

8.   Choose an icon that the name of your file. Click on it and hit "OK" twice.

• Note that this will not work on Windows 7 Pro

Tips

• Running batch files like these in full screen can make them even scarier and more convincing. Right click on the icon and chose Properties -> Options -> Full screen.
• Do not shutdown the computer too early. It may not scare the victim or may not look like a virus.
• It's even better if you name the virus "Internet Explorer" and change the icon to match. Save it to your desktop and delete the old internet shortcut so if they click to go on the internet, it shuts down on them.
• Alternatively, set your 'virus' to execute every time a user logs in. Navigate to Start > All Programs > Startup (Right-click) > Open and copy the shortcut into the folder that opens. Be careful with the shutdown timer's value. Too long of an interval will make it easy for even the most computer illiterate people to deactivate the virus.
• A safe mode boot will halt the Startup and the Registry Run key.
  If you really screwed up, boot a Live Linux distro and mount the hard drive. Once mounted, navigate to that directory and delete the file.
• Alternatively, Choose a random shortcut icon from the desktop (Chrome for example) and change its target path to your batch file using properties. Whenever the user tries to open the software, the computer will shutdown.

Warnings

• Do not execute such viruses on computers that must be available 24 hours a day, such as the ones in hospitals.
• If you use a shutdown-countdown, you should have enough time to abort the countdown.
• Only do this to someone who can handle such a prank!
• Once this virus has been clicked on, there is often no way to stop it. However, if you need to terminate the shutdown for whatever reason, go to command prompt and type in this following command: "shutdown -a". It will immediately terminate the fake virus.