SR News: Anti-virus Vendor Fooled by Hoaxes


Anti-virus Vendor Fooled by Hoaxes!

A number of the  major  anti-virus  companies  seem  to  like  to  send  out
press-releases intended to scare customers into buying their  product.  This
gives them free media exposure and  implies  that  only  their  product  can
protect against whatever it is that they are hyping. (I strongly  disapprove
of this practice!) I avoid commenting on this practice but I  have  recently
been forced to make a comment. This is because we are getting messages  from
alarmed people concerned that the hoaxes we have documented in  these  pages
are not hoaxes but real viruses. This is not the case!

A large anti-virus vendor was fooled by the Good Times, Irina, Join the Crew
and PenPal hoaxes. (Or perhaps they knew they were hoaxes but  decided  they
would useful to scare potential customers?)  They  issued  a  press  release
(that is still today generating email inquiries) claiming that opening email
with theses titles would infect the PC. This press release has unfortunately
reinvigorated many of these old hoaxes.

The respected UK publication Virus Bulletin reported in an editorial  titled
"Marketing Madness" that McAfee GmbH  (Germany)  warned  recipients  of  the
above hoaxes as if they were fact went on to push the McAfee products  as  a
solution to these "threats".

Let me reassure you that in spite of claims by this  apparently  respectable
anti-virus company, these are all hoaxes.

Protection from Graphics?

Recently we have been forwarded a media release from  another  major  vendor
that promises to protect you when you download or view graphics (e.g.,  .GIF
and .JPG files). This is absurd since there is no way to become infected  by
viewing or downloading graphics. (Beware though: downloading and executing a
program (e.g.,an .EXE file) to view graphics can spread a virus..

Protection from Cookies?

The above vendor (and one other) claim to protect you against virus infected
"Cookies". This is silly since "Cookies" pose absolutely no  threat  (beyond
wasting some disk space). They are never executed so there  is  no  need  to
scan them for viruses, yet these vendors imply that it's important  to  scan
"Cookies". "Cookies" are files that some web sites use to store  information
when you visit their web sites.


Read more about whether Cookies and Graphic files pose a threat to your PC.


If your anti-virus vendor claims to protect you against viruses contained in
graphic files or cookies, you should seriously consider whether you want  to
give your money to company with such ethics!

Write to Stiller Research: support@stiller.com

                                     Copyright c 1998 Stiller Research.
                                    Document Last Modified June 1, 1998.

[=- 㡫  ୠ ᪨ 蠫 //  #2 //  1998  -=]
                                                                                                                                                                                                     
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