Virus Hoaxes spread faster than
viruses, so says the IBM site. The engine used is fear. They usually
consist of an email that warns of a popular and public danger which
you are very well aware of. This includes hoaxes as well!
The Good Times hoax contained a warning
about a ‘miscreant’ spreading viruses through an email titled
‘Good Times.’ And it asks you to forward the message, which
you would do as a Samaritan or good citizen that you are. The hoax
cites authorities and magnifies the damage that could be done. The
most interesting aspects were: quoting the FCC, using the expression
"nth-complexity infinite binary loop" that the cpu
would fall into!
The lame part of the message was the
solution it provides: not to open any such email. That sounds too
simplistic a solution given at the end of all the dramatic text before
it. And it is put in capitals and followed by an exclamation! And
then again goes on to repeat the same solution, again followed by
an exclamation mark. The use of this ‘!’ mark indicates
the funnier, not serious side of the mail. No serious solution would
come with such asides attached. Have a look at this:
Avoiding infection is easy once the file has been received simply
by NOT READING IT!
It does not look serious at all.
And the message ends with a question
asked to the reader, if he could forward it to a global mailing list!
The above signs can tell you how to spot
and hoax. Also look out for more than two exclamation marks. Some
put in up to four like: "this
dangerous virus!!!!"
No company engages in warning the public
of any virus alert, unless you sign up to some mailing list that contains
such alerts.
The technical jargon used is quite interesting:
Java enhanced Web Pages
memory resident
host of applications and operation
systems
Researchers at Princeton University
self-replicating virus (?!)
destroys your Boot Sector
What should be done?
Send bulk mail to everyone alerting them
about the hoax? That might be taken as spreading another hoax about
a hoax. Just delete the hoax, as the promised email would never arrive.
Why are they spread?
They appear to be a school boyish prank
delivered on the internet.