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Cinema Studies Links:
Internet Hoaxes, Legends, and Virus Alerts
Hoaxes and legends about internet viruses can cost you a time and effort. Before you pass along the latest virus alert sent by a friend or alter your own on-line behavior in response to such an alert, check out one or more of the following sites. The analyses of the various internet frauds and legends can also be quite interesting on their own.
- Vmyths.com. Learn about the myths, the hoaxes, the urban legends, and the implications if you believe in them. This site is maintained by Rob Rosenberger, an internationally recognized expert on computer virus myths and hoaxes. Rosenberger does not work for any company which sells antivirus software or services and accepts no antivirus product advertising on this website.
- Computer Incident Advisory Capability (CIAC). This official Department of Energy website provides information on hoaxes and internet chain letters as well as on real viruses; it also provides more technical information of security matters such as a list of security resources and current data on various operating systems. But if you are paranoid about the government monitoring your use of the internet, you should be aware that use of the CIAC system constitutes consent to security monitoring and testing and all your activity on it is logged with your host name and IP address.
- Virus Information Library. The McAfee AVERT Virus Information Library contains detailed information on where viruses come from, how they infect your system, and how to remove them. In addition to genuine viruses, the VIL also has useful information on virus hoaxes.
- Snopes.com Urban Legends Reference Page. Snopes.com, created by Barbara and David P. Mikkelson. provides thoroughly researched and referenced commentary on urban legends in an astonishing array of categories, including those about computers, the Internet, and e-mail alerts and petitions.
- TruthOrFiction.com. This site tells you whether e-mail rumors, inspirational stories, virus warnings, humorous tales, pleas for help, urban legends, prayer requests and calls to action are truth or fiction.
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