The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group Think once, twice, three times ...  before forwarding a virus warning Carol Daniels cad@melbpc.org.au

It's the silly season, or so it would seem. Rumours are rife and accusations fly. Because they go in circles, they keep coming back. No doubt most perpetrators are motivated by genuine concern. Unfortunately that doesn't reduce the damage they cause. In fact, I'm beginning to think that hoaxes, legends and the many miscellaneous myths, legends and lies end up being as destructive as actual computer viruses, security threats and dangerous information to be found on the information superhighway.

Even outrageous spoofs on classic viruses get taken seriously by enough people that sharing these humorous messages can be dangerous. Not to your computer, to your sanity. No matter how outrageous the claim, it will come back to you one day, when someone somewhere mistakes it for a serious threat, and with genuine concern starts it on another around the world trip, leaving a trail of neophytes in its path.

So in Good Times or bad, whether travelled alone, accepted an invitation to Join the Crew with Irinia or Deeyenda, or received the message from a Pen Pal of someone with an AOL4FREE account, don't spread virus hoaxes!

The bold entries above are the names of some of the all-time classic virus hoaxes. When these names appear in a subject line, prepare yourself for a hoax, and treat it accordingly.

What about authentic virus alerts?

It's sad but there are people who create and release viruses. What's more, the Internet is a very efficient distribution mechanism for these destructive creations.

How do you tell if a virus warning is authentic? Go to an authoritative source. Your greengrocer's daughter's best friend's brother may be a games wizard. Your office partner's wife's niece may be the next Bill-Gates-in-waiting. But don't take their word as gospel. About the only way they are going to have accurate, up-to-the minute information about what's going on in the virus scene, is if they're a part of it themselves.

Instead go to one of the recognised hoax debunking web sites, or the corporate web site of one of the prominent anti-virus software developers (the antivirus software you use would be a good first choice). You'll find that most authentic virus warnings, sent by established industry experts or companies, are digitally signed--often using Pretty Good Privacy (PGP). PGP is the world's most widely used encryption software. It provides a facility for digitally signing a document, which can be used to authenticate the identity of the sender. See "Anti-virus Web Resource" for sources of anti-virus information.

If we all act responsibly, we may escape from the never-ending cycle of hoax de-bunking. And maybe, some day, in a land far, far away, no one will ever again get a headache, after trying, without success, to explain to someone that a computer virus really can't let the air out of your car's tyres, or give you split ends!

Reprinted from the November 1997 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia

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