Recognizing a Virus Hoax

There are all kinds of unwanted email floating around the Internet these days. Virus hoaxes are one of the most insidious types because they exploit people's good intentions to spread unwanted mail, bad information and even viruses. When there are so many real and dangerous computer viruses loose today, it can be hard to ignore an email warning of a new one.

As with any unexpected email, however, it is best to think before you act. Forwarding a hoax virus report compounds the problem and acting on information in such a hoax report may cause you to do something harmful to your computer or even download a virus you wouldn't otherwise have received.

Here are four good steps to take whenever you receive an email warning of a new and dangerous virus.

1. Check the Source
If the email purports to be from an anti-virus software company, you can visit that company's web site to double-check the information. The company will have updated their website to include information on the new virus before sending out an email warning. If you can't find information about the virus on the company's website, it is not something you need to worry about.

Navigate to the website by opening a new browser window and typing the address of the website by hand. Do not click on a link in the email you received.

If the email came from a friend, think about how trustworthy that friend's information is. Did this virus warning come from the same friend who sends you a new email every day that must be forwarded to ten other people? If so, you should be very cautious about the information. Even if you trust the friend, it is a good idea to take the next steps.

2. Check the Wording
Does the email contain dire warnings, such as claims that parts of your computer will be destroyed by the virus? Does the email urge you to forward it to a number of other people? If either of these is true, it is almost certainly a hoax. A legitimate warning from an anti-virus company will often contain little more information than the name of the virus and will direct you to visit their website for more information. No legitimate warning will say that you should forward it to your friends.

3. Check the Information
The major anti-virus companies all have an area on their website where you can see information about different viruses. Visit the website for your anti-virus software and look for the virus reported in the email. You should be able to find a page about the virus if it is real.

There are also a number of sites that document hoax virus warnings. Two good ones are snopes.com and vmyth.com. It is worth visiting these sites to see if some variation of the email you just received is listed there.

Again, visit the websites by opening a new browser window and typing the address of the website by hand rather than clicking on a link in the email you received.

4. Update Your Anti-virus Software
Anti-virus software is relatively cheap (sometimes even free), so everyone who spends any amount of time on line should have some form of protection. It is a good idea to update your anti-virus software at least once a month, but sometimes people forget. Use this virus warning as a good excuse to update your software right away. That way you will be protected if the virus is real.

Hoax viruses waste valuable Internet bandwidth and sometimes even spread viruses rather than prevent them. They rely on the collective fear of millions of computer users to spread. By keeping a clear head and following a few simple steps, you can protect yourself from falling victim to one of these scams and help to break the chain of the scam before it goes any further.