How to Spot a Virus

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How to Spot a Virus

Solution There are definite signs that indicate when a virus warning is in fact a hoax. With common sense and a healthy dose of skepticism, you can help make the Internet a better place by helping stop hoaxes before they spread.

First, don't fall for a warning just because it "sounds" technical. As we have seen above (remember our friend the "nth-complexity infinite binary loop"?), technical-sounding language means nothing. In fact, most real virus warnings from real organizations don't use a lot of technical language. They try to explain the problem and the solution in language that is simple and direct.

Just because the email came from your friend the computer nerd doesn't mean it's correct. Even if he works at Microsoft. And just because the email claims to be reporting the words of the FCC, or the FBI, or a respected anti-virus vendor, or some other government agency or company doesn't make it more likely to be true. Search the Web sites of the organizations that are mentioned in the email before believing what you read. Further, do a Google search on the virus name: that may produce immediate results indicating whether the virus is real or a hoax.

If the email has a lot of exclamation points or words or phrases written in CAPITAL LETTERS, it is more than likely false. Real security alerts from reputable organizations don't use such techniques. However, the creators of virus hoaxes do use such techniques, because they know that people are influenced by their emotions. If the email pushes emotional buttons, but doesn't offer much in the way of verifiable fact, it's a hoax.

The worse the virus sounds, the less likely its existence. Sure, some viruses do destructive things, but most do not. And the effects attributed to viruses in hoax emails are usually nothing short of apocalyptic: erased hard drives, destroyed systems, and panic in the streets. Be especially suspicious anytime a virus is described using a superlative, as in "most destructive", "worst ever", and so on.

Finally, if the "warning" says to pass it along to everyone you know, it is without doubt a fake. In effect, if you pass along warnings, then YOU become the means by which the virus hoax propagates. Real virus warnings never encourage you to forward them; instead, they direct you to a Web site for further information. Break the chain! Don't forward emails warning about viruses!

But what if you do get an email that seems real? Don't panic. And don't forward it to everyone on God's green earth. Check it out first. Ask the technical department at your company. If they're not available, there are some excellent resources on the Web that can help you verify the truth of a virus warning.

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Article details

Article ID:	3
Category:	Viruses & Spyware
Date added:	05-08-2009 2:21:pm
Views:	104
Rating (Votes):	(3)

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