How to Spot Bogus Virus Alerts
When you open your Internet e-mail box in the morning, do you receive cryptic warnings about new computer viruses that'll infect your system and eat-the-heart-out of your computer?
If you do, don't panic.
It's probably a hoax – just like the latest virus warning that spread to thousands of users with the title "A virtual card for you".
The warning says that as soon as the supposed virtual card is opened, the computer freezes so that the user has to reboot. When the ctrl+alt+del keys or the reset button are pressed, the virus writes zeros to the hard drive, permanently destroying the hard disk.
Not true. It turns out that "the virtual card" alert was no more than a piece of spam designed especially to waste valuable time, confuse even respectable media broadcasters at CNN, and spread paranoia like wild fire.
That's not to say that all virus warnings are bogus. The real ones can save your business – preventing you from tossing out thousands of dollars in damaged computer equipment and software.
How can you tell the phoney from the real kind of warning? There are a few questions you should ask yourself. First, did the email come from a reliable source or was it forwarded from your grandmother, who got it from her aunt and then from a friend who works at the post office. If it looks like chain-mail, be skeptical about its content.
Also, there are several Web sites available to help you investigate whether the alert is valid. Here are three helpful links to research whether you should be wasting valuable time understanding the latest bug to hit your computer or software.
1. www.symantec.com/avcenter
2. http://vil.mcafee.com/hoax.asp
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