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Go to one of the hoax-busting sites and find out if it's real or just a sick joke.
  technofile
Al Fasoldt's reviews and commentaries, continuously available online since 1983

Dealing with virus hoaxes, Part 2: Where to get the facts


June 27, 2001


By Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2001, Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2001, The Syracuse Newspapers

   Life with a Windows PC is tough enough as it is. But there's another worry to add to your list: Virus hoaxes.
   Virus hoaxes come in the mail uninvited. People you don't know send "warnings" about viruses that don't exist to people you might know, and they send them on to you.
   As I explained last week, spotting a hoax can be easy once you've learned to recognize the signs. You can be sure that a "virus warning" is a hoax if the "warning" is written in a breathless tone and if it makes outrageous claims, to name just two signs of a hoax.
   But sometimes you get a message about a possible virus without all the trappings of a hoax letter. An old friend sent me a letter a few weeks ago referring to a virus I'd never heard of, and the first thing I did was what I'm advising you to do -- I went immediately to one of my favorite hoax sites to see if the virus he mentioned was a known hoax. I found references to it and confirmed that the "virus" was just another hoax.
   You can do the same thing. Check out the Web sites listed below and make bookmarks or Favorites out of the ones you like best. Then, when you get yet another e-mailed reference to a virus that will eat your hard drive for lunch, go to one of the hoax-busting sites and find out if it's real or just a sick joke.
   The Datafellows "Hoax warnings" site is one of the best worldwide. You can get from one section to another easily. Finding whatever you're looking for is simple and takes very little time. The site is at www.datafellows.com/news/hoax.htm.
   Another good site is the Symantec "Security Updates" site at www.symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html. Symantec is the parent company of the Norton series of utility programs and takes its responsibilities seriously. Many computer experts consider the Symantec site the single best source of virus and virus-hoax information.
   Be sure to spend a few minutes with Rob Rosenberger's "Virus Myths" site, www.vmyths.com. You'll find that Rosenberger is not afraid to say exactly what he thinks about the companies that sell software that combats viruses.
   The "Virus Myths" site also covers myths not related to viruses. These make for fascinating reading. Chances are, you've fallen for at least a few of the myths and so-called urban legends exposed on the site.
   I also like the Stiller Research site, at www.stiller.com/hoaxes.htm. It's an old-fashioned Web site full of ordinary links. The main page had only one ad on it -- a refreshing encounter.
   The Stiller site covers general myths as well as virus hoaxes. You'll be amazed that so many of us can fall for the myths and hoaxes portrayed on the Stiller site, and perhaps you'll have a better idea why we need to combat this kind of misinformation.