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Virus Hoax or the Real Thing: How to
Tell the Difference
You’ve probably seen the urgent alert in your mailbox warning
you of a new virus transmitted by email that will erase your hard drive or crash your
machine if you read it. The warning usually appears to come from the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC), Microsoft, or the technology department of a major
university. It goes on to urge you to forward the message to all of your friends and
colleagues. You may panic, run your virus software, keep an eye out for suspicious
emails, and then forward the message to everyone you know. In reality, this is one
of the dozens of virus hoaxes that are maliciously created but are spread by
well-intentioned people. They both cause needless panic and fill our mailboxes with
junk mail.
Because computer viruses can be very serious and can cause
irreparable damage to your computer and/or data, it is important to be able to recognize
the difference between real virus warnings and virus hoaxes and to protect your data and
computer using virus software and the latest virus definitions.
Signs of a virus hoax:
- The message tells you that your hard drive will be erased or your
computer destroyed if you open an email message. Only executable files can cause the
type of damage described. Simply reading an email message can not spread a
virus. Be aware, though, that an executable file disguised as an attachment could be
a virus. Make sure your virus program scans downloaded files and attachments.
When in doubt, check your attachment for viruses before opening it and do not execute a
program that does not come from a reputable web site or manufacturer.
- The author of the message encourages you to pass it along to all of
your friends and colleagues.
- The warning includes very technical-sounding language.
- The warning appears to come from the FCC. Monitoring computer
viruses and warning users is not a job of the FCC.
If you receive a virus warning, it is important to rule out the possibility that it is a
hoax. Before forwarding the message to anyone, please:
Signs of a Real Virus:
- Your virus software reports an infected file.
- Someone you share your files with tells you that their software
detected that your file is infected.
- While using a word processor, you are suddenly forced to save all of
your files as a template.
- You receive a message that a program is trying to write to your boot
sector or that your boot sector has been changed.
- An unusual message (not an error message) appears on your machine.
If you suspect that you have a computer virus, please run your anti-virus program or
contact LRDC Computing Services (x47033) for assistance. If you find a computer
virus, please inform any colleagues with whom you share files.
Prevention:
- Make sure that you have an anti-virus program on your computer and
that it is running in the background.
- Make sure that your virus definitions are up-to-date
- Make sure that your program is set up to automatically scan floppy
disks, attachments, and downloaded file.
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