Wobbler Hoax

[Hartmut Haberland]

The best computer virus hoax page, in my opinion, is

http://www.Vmyths.com/

Two remarks:

1. There has never, to my knowledge, been a computer virus warning that
was not a hoax. In those rare cases that computer virusses actually have
appeared, there was no warning.

Most of the computer virus warnings that I've seen contain references to
virus designs that are technically impossible. You cannot contract a
computer virus by just reading your e-mail, even an "infected" message.
Computer virusses travel in programs and an ordinary e-mail message is
not a program. It may contain attachments, though, that are programs
(like Word .doc documents), which, when read, can transfer a virus.

2. There seem to be discourse markers typical for virus hoaxes. Usually
they take the form of references to authorities. "IBM and AOL have
announced ..." is a very good example of such a hoax marker.

Stay cool,
Hartmut