A Virus Hoax
What it really is!
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A virus hoax is
a program that has been written to look and act likes a
virus.
These programs were big back
in the mid to late 90’s when people were really just
starting to get on the internet.
These programs were handed
from one computer user to the next being mostly sent by
friends as a joke or virus hoax. |
A virus hoax may do
things like miss place your desktop icons or act as if it has erased
some data on your hard drive. Most of these programs are harmless and
really do not hurt your computer.
However, this does not mean that you
should think that anything sent to you by a friend is a virus hoax.
Just as a virus
hoax is written to look and act like a virus, real viruses can be written to
look and act like hoaxes. However a real viruses can and will destroy
your computer data.
Even some
anti virus
programs can see hoax viruses as a real threat to your system. Real
viruses can also go undetected by some anti virus programs.
This why it pays to
have more than one solution for virus protection.
When dealing with a
virus hoax or real viruses you need to ask yourself a few questions to keep
your computer security in check.
1. Always
consider the source, where the email, viruses or whatever it was came
from. If it came to you in an email, then it is most likely not from a
friendly source or can be a virus hoax.
2. Emails
with attachments should never be opened or if they are to be then always
use extreme caution. Email can be the number once source for a
virus hoax and cause viruses to
spread on the internet. The reason is because most people are very
careless when opening email and writers of virus programs know this.
3. If it came from a company,
always think about why you did in fact receive the email. Listen, Most
if not all companies will not send you an email out of the blue asking
for your account information or other things. Never, never send back
any information without first calling the company to see if the email is
legit.
4. Always
run some type of virus software on your system. Even if the program is
not made by the best anti virus Software Company, some is better than
none.
As you can see it’s
actually pretty basic to making sure your computer system is protected.
You just have to use some basic sense against a virus hoax and other
security concerns and you will be able to get by and
have a great virus free experience.
If you have never used
any type of anti virus software on your computer before than it is most
likely that you are infected with something. This does not always mean
a virus, or a virus hoax but it could be spyware.
It is best to get your
computer system protected today, so you do not lose any of your valuable
data. If you do online banking or anything that uses sensitive data,
then you need some type of protection from viruses and a virus hoax.
If you have no idea
where to start then one of the first things you can do is march on up to
your local best buy or computer store and ask the sales person how you
can better protect your computer. Make sure you even ask them what
they think a virus hoax is.
People in these places are usually
very knowledgeable and will help you.
Remember the number one
thing you can do against a security issue or a virus hoax is to get some type of anti virus protection today.
Viruses and hackers are a real problem today and should be taken
seriously. All you have to do is watch the news to see that someone
data or identity was stolen.
The internet is a vast
resource of information for you to educate yourself on the subject of
computer security or virus protection or a virus hoax. All you have to do is take the
time to read and learn all that you can.
Always remember to ask
yourself the basic questions about computer security or a virus hoax. It may sounds
simple but a great many people miss it and give out sensitive data on a
daily basis.
You do not want to be
one of those unlucky ones who have compromised their data and security
or fell for a virus hoax.
Just think of all the
ads on TV that you see. If security was not a concern, do you think
major corporations would be marketing and spends a fortune on TV
campaigns?
Make no mistake you need to secure your computer today
against all types of threats and even a virus hoax!
A virus hoax can be a
fun joke to play on your friends but if the real thing happens then you
can lose your data.
back home from virus hoax |
