Malicious Mobile Code

Categories of Hoax Messages

Hoax messages fall into a two major categories, depending on their intent: virus warning or chain letter.

Virus Warning

By far, the most frequent hoax message is one containing a warning about a horrific virus. The virus purportedly arrives either via email or hiding within a file extension. That part sounds reasonable enough. But the warnings go further and say that its infected millions of PCs, destroys PCs, and there is nothing you can do.

Good Times virus

The Good Times virus hoax is the most famous and widespread of them all. It’s a nice collection of the many tricks hoaxers will use to fool you. If you haven’t read this one, let me be the first to introduce you:

Thought you might like to know...

The FCC released a warning last Wednesday concerning a matter of major importance to any regular user of the InterNet. Apparently, a new computer virus has been engineered by a user of America Online that is unparalleled in its destructive capability. Other, more well-known viruses such as Stoned, Airwolf, and Michelangelo pale in comparison to the prospects of this newest creation by a warped mentality.

What makes this virus so terrifying, said the FCC, is the fact that no program needs to be exchanged for a new computer to be infected. It can be spread through the existing email systems of the InterNet. Once a computer is infected, one of several things can happen. If the computer contains a hard drive, that will most likely be destroyed. If the program ...