CyberGuide
Skeptic Surfing
FROM: MAR-APR 2003 ISSUE | BY ROBIN DAY
Last week's arrival of yet another e-mail message warning of the latest virus almost sent me over the edge. A friend did me the huge favour of telling me about the virus that "had just been discovered by Microsoft, AOL and the cousin of a guy who once worked at IBM." As usual, the warning was a hoax.
These hoaxes can take the form of dire warnings of computer virus infections, too-good-to-be-true investing schemes, or simple old-fashioned chain letters, to name a few. Anyone who receives these e-mail messages could use a healthy dose of skepticism and the information found in the following sites.
http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/
The U.S. Department of Energy has one of the best hoax sites on the Web. It is not necessarily the most up-to-date, but it does provide key information on how to spot a hoax and what to do (or better yet, what not to do) when you see one. The site provides lists of hoaxes sorted by category and name.
http://www.vmyths.com
Vmyths takes the topic of hoaxes a step further, offering plenty of background information on virus hoaxes and other Internet myths. This background information helps you to understand how some hoaxes get started, making it easier to spot the ones that aren't yet on the list. The site includes some well-researched articles on the effect of popular hoaxes.
http://www.snopes.com/index.html
As discovered at the above sites, bogus virus warnings are not the only hoaxes propagated online. On the lighter side, the Urban Legends Reference Pages site is one of the best collections of urban legends I have seen online. Not all the entries here are legends though; many are outlandish but true tales guaranteed to make you wonder how some people manage to get their shoes on the right feet every day.
Even with all this information available, IT security experts say the only safe computer is one that isn't running or, better yet, one that isn't plugged in. So do yourself a favour, use these resources to check out that next virus warning before you forward it to all your friends. Or just turn off your computer, unplug it and take the rest of the day off.
[ TOP ]
Robin Day, MBA, CGA, teaches financial management at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. He is also president of Virtual Information Technologies Inc.E-mail rday@virtualit.ca.