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Virus Hoaxes
T here are a lot of viruses out there. But some aren't really out
there at all. Virus hoaxes are more than mere annoyances, as they may
lead some users to routinely ignore all virus warning messages, leaving
them vulnerable to a genuine, destructive virus. In addition, they can
cause as many problems as real viruses as most of them ask the recipient
to forward the warning to everyone they know, resulting in thousands or
millions of useless mail messages.
However, virus writers can use known hoaxes to their advantage. For
example, AOL4FREE began as a hoax virus warning. Then somebody
distributed a destructive trojan attached to the original hoax virus
warning! The lessons are clear:
- Always remain vigilant
- Never open a suspicious attachment
Most hoaxes have the following characteristics:
- They include instructions to send the warning to everyone you know.
- The warning does not refer you to any antivirus software company website.
- They refer to official sources and are written to sound official.
- They warn of horrific consequences.
- They warn of destruction of hardware.
- They refer to new technology which is not well understood.
- They are self-contradictory.
- They refer to well-known names in the computer industry, the media or government.
Next time you receive an urgent virus warning message, be sure to
check the list of known virus hoaxes at:
http://vil.mcafee.com/hoax.asp?
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