4 December 2003
Sophos reveals the hottest email hoaxes of the year
Sophos, a world leader in protecting businesses against viruses and spam, has revealed the top ten email hoaxes for 2003. The JDBGMGR virus hoax is the most commonly reported hoax for the second year running.
The top ten hoaxes reported to Sophos during 2003 are as follows:
The JDBGMGR virus hoax purports to be a warning message telling readers to avoid infection by deleting a file called JDBGMGR.EXE from their hard drives. In fact, this file is a legitimate system file installed with versions of Internet Explorer.
Sophos continues to receive many support queries from users troubled by virus hoaxes and email chain letters, and recommends users always check an anti-virus vendor's website when they receive a possible hoax email. The Sophos website's hoax information section is one of the most highly respected sources for reliable information on new hoaxes.
"Hoaxes and chain letters are a nuisance for all email users," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. "The hoaxes often claim the impossible, but some recipients may believe the message to be legitimate and take drastic action such as shutting down their network."
To keep informed about the most prevalent hoaxes and viruses, you can add a free Sophos information feed to your own website or intranet.
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