Here are some really good sites for checking as to
whether a recent "VIRUS WARNING!!!" or other such warning-related, Internet
e-mail message you may have received is in fact a known hoax.
If you just think about it a little, you may find a couple of key questions:
- If Microsoft announced (or said) it, why did you have to hear about it in a forwarded e-mail?
- Same question, if AOL says.......
- If someone was going to give away a bunch of money, do you really think it
would be to some anonymous person on a forwarded e-mail?
Big companies don't do business via chain letter. You can relax ... there is no need
to pass it on "just in case it's true". Furthermore, just because someone said in the message,
four generations back, that "we checked it out and it's legit," that does not actually
make it true.
- Neiman Marcus doesn't sell a $200 cookie recipe. And even if they do, we all have it. So if you decide
to make the recipe and decide the cookies are all that awesome, feel free to pass the recipe on - but
not until you've baked the cookies and tasted them please.
- Do you have any idea of where some of these SPAM senders get all those e-mail
address? Could some of it be from the multitude of headers on forwarded hoaxes?
- If your CC: list is regularly longer than the actual content of your message, you're probably
going to hell.
- There is no "Good Times" virus. In fact, you should never, ever, ever forward
any e-mail containing virus warnings unless you first confirm it at an actual site
of an actual company that actually deals with virii. Try
Symantec Virus Hoax listing. And even then don't forward it. Most
of us don't care.
Check out a couple of these sites:
The following is quoted directly from the Microsfoft web site:
"Note: There have been reports of fraudulent security patches being distributed
through e-mail by persons misrepresenting themselves as "Microsoft." Microsoft
policy is to distribute all security patches through the Microsoft Web site,
and not via e-mail. Microsoft may send security notifications via e-mail, but
they will always reference a Microsoft URL for download. Users should not
install patches attached to e-mail messages, even if those messages claim to be
from Microsoft."
If you do not have an anti-virus program
running on your computer
Get One! - FAST
I have personally used several with
good results. While there are quite a few programs available, perhaps, the
two best known are Norton
and
McAfee.
I have used both, but "settled" on
McAfee
because of support they gave that I was not able to get from Norton.
The key word there was "Support"
Where can I get the latest Anti-Virus software?
|
