Sophos

Hoaxes

Virus hoaxes are false reports about non-existent viruses, often claiming to do impossible things. Unfortunately some recipients occasionally believe a hoax to be a true virus warning and may take drastic action (such as shutting down their network).

Sophos provides information about virus hoaxes to assist companies and individuals. Although we do provide information about some non-virus-related hoaxes, chain letters, scams and misunderstandings, the primary aim of this section of the website is to provide information about hoaxes which are virus-related.

By hoax name

Please select the first character of the name:

By hoax type

View the most recent and most prevalent hoaxes.

Sophos suggests a policy to help prevent hoaxes from spreading in your company.

Please refer to the Glossary for descriptions of the terms used.