Information & documentation
FAQ: How do I know a virus warning is a hoax?
There is always a lot of information about viruses and other malware circulating on the internet. However many of these warnings are hoaxes, they do not infect systems but are still time consuming and costly to handle. The Help Desk also receives messages from users querying the validity of virus warnings.
It goes without saying that we are willing to answer your query but you can often find the information yourself by checking the McAfee Hoaxes page or the F-Secure Hoax Warnings page. Other information can be found at Snopes (who use a green/red circle code to differentiate real, hoax and the nasty mixed cases where hoaxers take advantage of a real threat) and at the Vmyths site
Hoax e-mail messages about viruses are extremely common. Messages which suggest that just reading an e-mail message (rather than opening an attachment or clicking on a link) can trash your hard disk, your BIOS and your life are hoaxes, as are messages which say "Please send this email to as many people as possible". (Please don't!)
When you receive a virus warning not coming from the Computing Service or from your local technical support staff, always check it with them and leave them to circulate it if appropriate. The result of hoax warnings is that many users are quite unnecessarily worried; some users, however, assume all warnings to be hoaxes and are therefore not worried enough.
See Computer viruses and other malware: what you need to know for more information.
Last updated: October 2011