Virus hoaxes: where to check

[Guest guest]

The sites given here also give info about real viruses. There are lists

and a newsletter so you can receive the latest info on viruses & hoaxes.

>From the Virus Bulletin:

http://www.virusbtn.com/

------

 

Virus Hoaxes

 

Virus hoax messages are all too familiar

to just about all email users. One of the

main reasons for this is that they play

on peoples ignorance - users are

understandably concerned about viruses,

and so consider it 'helpful' if, as

suggested by the majority of hoaxes, they

forward the message on to their entire

address book.

 

Such an action, all be it well-meaning,

is not helpful however. Aside from the

imposed network load, the consequence is

that the hoax becomes 'well known' and

listed on pages such as these. This fame

(of sorts) no doubt leads to some degree

of satisfaction for the hoax perpetrator.

 

If you receive a virus warning message,

follow the advice below, and you will be

able to quickly ascertain if the warning

is genuine, and what action you should

take.

 

1. Most such emails are, thankfully,

hoaxes. To verify that the warning

in question is a hoax, consult the

Virus Bulletin hoax listings.

 

Additionally, the following sites

contain lots of useful up-to-date

virus hoax information, and are

worth consulting:

o Rob Rosenberger's 'Computer

Virus Myths' page.

http://www.kumite.com/myths/

o Sophos Plc hoax page.

http://www.sophos.com/virusinfo/scares/

o Stiller Research's Hoax page.

http://www.stiller.com/hoaxes.htm

o NAI's Hoax list.

http://www.mcafeeb2b.com/asp_set/anti_virus/library/hoaxes.asp

[or Dr. Solomon's virus site:]

http://www.drsolomon.com/vircen/index.cfm

 

2. Do NOT forward the warning message

to 'all your friends', as it may

suggest in the text. If you have

verified that the message is a hoax,

simply delete it. If you are unsure,

simply forward the message to your

IT administrator. Failing that,

forward it to us.

 

'New' virus hoaxes are more often than

not, merely recycled old hoaxes, with the

addition of a few minor differences. As

such it is possible to spot the tell-tale

signs of a hoax. Typical phrases in the

body of a virus hoax might be:

 

* Do not open! Doing so will result in

the deletion of all of the files on

your hard drive!

* Forward this message to all your

friends!

 

Basically, warning messages encouraging

you to forward the information to all

your email contacts, will typically be

hoaxes.

 

See listings of known virus hoaxes.

 

------

[VB] Virus Hoaxes / webmaster © 2000 Virus Bulletin Ltd.