Virus & Security Information
Hoaxes and Urban Legends
One of the more irritating aspects of the instantaneous transmission of information through electronic mail is the fact that it enables certain messages to take on a "life of their own" as people forward them on to everyone they know. These messages might be warnings about viruses, request for aid for people with problems, warnings about government bills about to pass, or get rich quick schemes.
If you receive a virus warning or hoax, forward it to the ITSS Help Desk so they can confirm whether or not it is genuine. Please don't forward these warnings to anyone else; unless you are signed up to an official virus alert service it is unlikely to be a genuine warning.
For additional information
The following sites provide information on many hoaxes and "urban legends" (email and otherwise):