Computer Virus Hoaxes

What is a computer virus hoax?

A computer virus hoax is quite simply a warning message circulated by someone claiming that a certain file contains a virus, or that your computer will be infected with a virus if you open and read an email with a certain title.

Why do they happen?

Most are done as jokes. Somebody somewhere thinks it might be a laugh to cook up a convincing sounding hoax and spread it by email to see how far it gets. Think of these kinds of hoaxes as chain letters.

Others are spread by well meaning people who perhaps detect a virus on their computer inside a file or perhaps have a computer fail for some other reason and assume the problem is caused by a virus hidden in the last file they looked at, and email everyone they know to warn them that their copies of this file must be infected too. Recently, the famous SULFNBK hoax probably came about because of a confusion between the legitimate file of that name, and the infected file that the magistr virus uses to spread via email. File these ones under an honest mistake.

Some of the more common hoaxes are about "E-Mail viruses" - viruses which according to the hoax warning can fry your computer if you so much as dare to read the text inside the email message. Of course, we all know this is rubbish because we read the bit on this website that mentions that computer viruses are the same as any other computer program and need to be run before you can do anything... Right people?

Please do not take any notice of these hoax messages as they waste time, both your time and that of everyone you forward the message to. If you are unsure about any message you receive, you can usually decide easily enough if it is a hoax by following these tips:-

• Does the message claim that millions of people have been infected already? If it does then why did you only just hear about it. The Internet isn't that big yet!
• Does it claim that some impressive organisation is supporting this drive to tell people about the virus? Visit that organisation's web pages and see if they say anything there about it. If a message informs you that MSN are warning people about a virus, visit the MSN homepages and check it out for yourself before passing on the message.
• Often these messages wax Lyrical about what the virus is going to do to your machine? If a message claims that a virus is going to invoke Satan inside your computer, then probably cause it to have a nuclear meltdown stop and think! Isn't that a little ambitious for any computer program?
• Does it implore you to forward the message to everyone you know? As I said, Chain Letters.

If you want to know more about computer virus hoaxes and other similar things then please visit Rob Rosenberger's website at www.vmyths.com - The best source of information I know of for virus hoaxes bar none.

Top