Virus hoax

A virus hoax is a type of computer hoax that spreads via the internet or other digital communications networks. It is a false warning about a computer virus, typically urging recipients to immediately send the message to friends and colleagues to prevent it from spreading.

Most virus hoaxes are harmless and relatively easy to spot. If a message contains spelling or grammatical errors, suggests an urgency to respond, and demands that users to do something unusual or suspicious (such as delete a system file), it is probably a virus hoax.

Though they are believed to be intended as jokes, virus hoaxes can cause undesired disruption by clogging networks with superfluous email traffic.

The earliest known virus hoax is believed to have circulated on the Internet in 1988. The message warned recipients of the “Good Times” virus, warning them that it would erase hard drives and was being sent by an organization called the “Solitary Vampire.” As the Internet grew and word spread about virus hoaxes, the tactics of the perpetrators of the hoaxes evolved; newer messages disguised themselves as being from legitimate sources such as police, security experts, and government agencies.

Most virus hoaxes can be avoided by following good security practices, including avoiding opening attachments, installing up-to-date antivirus software, and only obtaining software from reputable sources. Additionally, users should always be aware of the danger of hoax emails by never automatically trusting what is sent to them.