Viruses are storming through the internet at a increasing pace.  As the threat from virus attacks grows many people are getting antivirus software to stop the threat of a malicious attack.  For the makers of such viruses the added protection has made it harder for them to effectively distribute their viruses.  A new type of virus, or a virus hoax as it's called, is now becoming a bigger and bigger a problem.

How Hoaxes Work:

Hoaxes are exactly what their name implies.  A person will receive an email or some other type of message telling them to check for a certain file on their computer.  The message indicates that the existence of the file is proof of infection.  Many of these messages will discuss how dangerous the bug can be and then provide steps to remove the so-called virus.  Many people perform the steps to get rid of it in a hurry only finding out later that the act of removing the "virus" is the only thing that damages their computer.

After a restart of the computer, or sometimes after starting a program that is regularly used, the customer sees an error they've never seen before.  What happened is that the email they received didn't have steps to remove a virus, instead it had steps to remove a common file that is regularly used by your computer.  Of these types of hoaxes the most commonly circulated is probably the jdbgmgr.exe virus hoax which doesn't do much damage, but is still a hassle.

Why doesn't my antivirus Software find these Hoaxes?

Antivirus software is designed to find viruses, not hoaxes.  They scan emails looking for malicious coding designed to damage your computer.  Since the virus hoaxes are simply a text based email (they're only a message with some writing in it), the antivirus program is unable to distinguish it from any normal email you would receive.  Indeed, many times you'll receive the hoax message from a well-meaning friend.

How do I avoid Hoaxes:

Below are a couple of ways to protect yourself from virus hoaxes.

• Do not open any emails from individuals you don't know.
  

• Don't perform any steps to delete or modify files on your computer, unless you are sure of the results.  If you have questions about this contact us.
  

• If you are unsure of what do do, check your antivirus manufacturers web site.  Most antivirus software sites have sections for virus hoaxes.  Below are some of those sites:

Fsecure:
http://www.f-secure.com/virus-info/hoax/ 

Symantec:
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html 

Mcafee:
http://vil.mcafee.com/hoax.asp

Other Services
Telephone | Long Distance Telephone | CableVision  | High Speed Internet
Careers                          Local Telephone Directory