Stoopid virus hoaxers

Megan Forbes

I recieved this really apologetic email from a friend today - he had sent it out to everyone he knew, trying to be helpful. It's saying that this file jdbgmgr.exe with a teddy bear icon is a virus that sits around for 14 days before activating. Turns out it's a totally legit MS file. So people round the world are recieving this email (claiming that this virus is being spread by MSN messenger) and promptly deleting the file, without bothering to check an antivirus site to see if it's legit or a hoax. So spread the word back to your friends - it's a hoax, a manual virus, SPAMMERS SUCK! :mad:

A pack of geeks, pale and skinny, feeling a bit pumped and macho after a morning of strenuous mouse clicking and dragging, arriving en masse at the gym. They carefully reset the machines to the lowest settings, offer to spot for each other on the 5 lb dumbells, and rediscover the art of macrame while attempting to jump rope. -Roger Wright on my colleagues and I going to gym each day at lunch

benjymous

Yeah, I had this passed on to me by my Mum, who'd got it from a friend of hers. Thankfully it was preceeded by a "Is this correct? I didn't want to delete anything" query from her, and I quickly reassured her that it was indeed just a hoax. Her friend had already deleted it, but all the stuff on vitus sites I've seen say that it's not an important windows componant (it's used for debugging java, so the average user would probably never run it in their lifetime) However, from what I understand, there was once a virus that did something to that file, so I guess it all stems from someone misunderstanding what viruses are (i.e. their virus checker found that file, and said it contained a virus, so they assumed that the file in question always contains a virus, and not that it'd been infected) On the subject of Hoaxes, I've got an elderly relative in the States (cousin of my Grandfather - can't be bothered to work out what that makes him to me) who used to work for IBM for years, and so is pretty computer literate. He once forwarded one of these hoaxes (I can't remember what it was), and I replied to him (and my mum to) telling him not to worry as it was just one of those hoaxes going round. He got really defensive, and told me that it had come from a reliable friend of his who knew about these things, so it was sure to be true. About a month later, I got an appologetic email back after his friend had realised that it was indeed a hoax :) -- Help me! I'm turning into a grapefruit!

Michael A Barnhart

That email has been around for several years. It keeps popping back up.:mad: "I will find a new sig someday."

KaRl

You have to educate your non-geek friends. Generally, mine never make the mistake twice :rolleyes:

Angels banished from heaven have no choice but to become demons Cowboy Bebop

ColinDavies

Yeah this is an old hoax, there was another one a few years ago that got people to delete the exe that interpreted long file names, that one caused a bit of havoc. Users are pretty stupid at large, and it never crosses there mind to google for "jdbgmgr.exe" for example. Regardz Colin J Davies

Sonork ID 100.9197:Colin

You are the intrepid one, always willing to leap into the fray! A serious character flaw, I might add, but entertaining. Said by Roger Wright about me.

Ted Ferenc

Deja vu again! I try and tell people never delete a file, just rename it, e.g. place a 'z' in front of the name, then check what it is, or ideally check first, before doing anything.

If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants. - Isaac Newton 1676

Megan Forbes

KaЯl wrote: You have to educate your non-geek friends. Easier said than done! They seem almost gleeful about virus warnings :(

A pack of geeks, pale and skinny, feeling a bit pumped and macho after a morning of strenuous mouse clicking and dragging, arriving en masse at the gym. They carefully reset the machines to the lowest settings, offer to spot for each other on the 5 lb dumbells, and rediscover the art of macrame while attempting to jump rope. -Roger Wright on my colleagues and I going to gym each day at lunch

KaRl

The way I choose to do so is to hit hard the first time, so they can remember. Generally, I reply asking to stop to send me this f*cking b*llshit which is just good enough to enjoy a 5 year old kid. Next I explain that they have to stop to send me messages with "multi-addresses", and I place there a passage against the spam. Finally, in the third paragraph, I explain calmly what is a hoax, how to find info about, and explain some basic rules about the use of e-mail It's pavlovian, but it generally works :-D

Angels banished from heaven have no choice but to become demons Cowboy Bebop

Roger Wright

Yeah, that's an oldie. It's the Microsoft Debugger Registrar for Java which is usually installed with Windows (thru WIn2K, at least). It really doesn't hurt anything to delete it, as long as you don't have any use for Java or websites that use it, but it can really be confusing for users who have followed this bogus advice and later need it. Nobody wants to read a diary by someone who has not seen the shadow of Bubba on the prison shower wall in front of them!
Paul Watson, on BLOGS and privacy - 1/16/2003

Roger Wright

I send them the sarc.com link once or twice. If that doesn't stop the flood of fake 'warnings' from the sender, I cease accepting emails from them. Life is too short to waste on stupid people. Nobody wants to read a diary by someone who has not seen the shadow of Bubba on the prison shower wall in front of them!
Paul Watson, on BLOGS and privacy - 1/16/2003