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	Virus Info Center - Virus Hoaxes

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Virus Hoaxes

With the increase in the growth of viruses and Trojan programs, many computer users use the Internet to warn friends and co-workers of these threats. At the same time, there has also been a growth of virus hoax warnings. These warnings often describe viruses or Trojans with fantastic or impossible characteristics. They can frighten users needlessly or lead to misconceptions about viruses. Forwarding these hoax warnings to friends and co-workers only perpetuates the problem.

Identifying a Hoax

Virus hoaxes are often recycled with a few minor changes. Although you cannot prove a warning is a hoax without checking the facts, it is possible to spot tell-tale signs which indicate that it is a hoax. Typical phrases in the body of a virus hoax might be:

	If you receive an email with an attached file from an unknown source, simply delete it.
	Viruses and Trojan programs must have code that is executed in order to infect. If you "double-click" an attached file on an email message, you are executing code and may infect your machine. (Note: Newer antivirus software is capable of scanning these attachments before they are opened.)

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!
This is not a hoax"

Look for emphatic statements, the frequent use of UPPERCASE LETTERS and multiple exclamation points!!!!!!!

Basically, warning messages encouraging you to forward the information to all your email contacts will typically be hoaxes. Read such messages carefully and consider them critically, looking for inconsistencies, falsehoods, or violations of common sense. Many hoaxes have nothing to do with viruses. Instead they may promise the user something for free in return for forwarding the message.

Other Information About Hoaxes

For more information about Internet hoaxes, check the ICSA Hoax Page http://www.icsa.net/html/communities/antivirus/hoaxes/) or ZDNet's E-Hoax Central http://www.zdnet.com/zdhelp/filters/ehoax/.