Top 5 Computer Security Hoaxes

Although the web is filled with very real computer security dangers, one of the less obvious threats is the hoax warning. These can lead to as much time being spent fixing non-existent problems as would be spent recovering a system from a major malware assault. Here are a few of the worst.

The Merry Christmas Hoax

Goodness knows what Grinch thought this one up. Last year an email warning began circulating which claimed that any email received with the title "Merry Christmas" was in fact one of the most destructive viruses of all time. Across the world, people deleted their festive e-cards and family newsletters for fear their machine would contract the non-existent malware.




The AOL4FREE Hoax

This email was particularly unpleasant as it used a hoax warning double bluff to deliver a nasty Trojan to a number of machines. First of all, a hoax alert hit inboxes, claiming that a virus disguised by the name AOL4FREE was being sent around the world. Shortly after this was revealed to be a hoax, a real Trojan bearing the same message was sent. In the resulting confusion, the malware compromised a far greater number of machines than it otherwise could have.


The Teddy Bear Hoax
It seems that some malware creators are now lazy as well as malicious and spread emails which cause the hapless recipient to damage their own software. The Teddy Bear Hoax warned that a person's PC had been infected with the made-up jdbgmgr.exe virus and provided instructions to delete it. Unfortunately, the file it specified is a legitimate windows file and – although its deletion would not cause problems for the majority of non-professional PC users – the number who followed the instructions and erased it highlights the potential threat of such crafty messages.


The Phantom Menace Hoax
This one was flagged up by McAfee, whose weary security team once again begged recipients not to forward it on. Like most such emails, it claimed that one of the world's most powerful viruses was on the loose and that no anti-virus program had yet been developed to combat it. However, by asserting that the fictitious malware was going by the name of a Starwars film, the perpetrators ensured that the email raced around online fan communities.



The Olympic Torch Hoax
First widely distributed in 2006, this fraudulent message urged recipients not to open any emails with the subject "Invitation" as doing so would unleash the Olympic Torch virus onto their machine, "burning" all their files. It untruthfully cited CNN and McAfee, adding to its credibility. There is a good chance this email will rear its head again soon as the world prepares for the Beijing Games.





Photo credits to Flickr for the Merry Christmas, email, teddy bear, star wars and olympic torch images.