Computer Virus Guide

Virus Hoaxes

Virus hoaxes are warnings posted (normally by e-mail) that concern non-existent viruses, trojan horses and other forms of malicious code. They tend to spread rapidly and can clog up e-mail systems if left unchecked.

There are too many of these to document here but the following links provide historical and current information:

http://vil.nai.com/VIL/hoaxes.asp

http://www.f-secure.com/virus-info/hoax

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

If your company is affected by a virus hoax, make sure your staff are wise to their existence, without compromising your protection against real infections.

Hoaxes in themselves are relatively harmless, but they do waste time, effort, system resources and ultimately, your money.