24 Jan 2003
JDBGMGR - Virus hoax shows no sign of fading
Sophos reports that JDBGMGR, the virus hoax that first appeared
in April 2002, is still causing disruption almost a year after it
first appeared.
The virus hoax purports to be a warning message telling readers
to avoid infection by deleting a file called JDBGMGR.EXE from their
hard drives. In fact, this file is a legitimate system file
installed with versions of Internet Explorer. Though deleting this
file should not affect normal computer usage unless you are a Java
developer, the Sophos website search logs show that it is one of
the most searched for phrases on the Sophos website, outranking all
virus searches except for W32/Klez - the number one virus of
2002.
"It's great to see that people are going to reputable anti-virus
sites when they receive suspicious information." said Graham
Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos Anti-Virus "We all
have a part to play in slowing the spread of this hoax down. If you
receive this email, simply delete it."
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).
To keep informed about the most prevalent hoaxes and viruses,
you can add a free Sophos information feed to your own website or
intranet.
About Sophos
More than 100 million users in 150 countries rely on Sophos as the best protection against complex threats and data loss. Sophos is committed to providing security and data protection solutions that are simple to manage, deploy and use and that deliver the industry's lowest total cost of ownership. Sophos offers award-winning encryption, endpoint security, web, email, and network access control solutions backed by SophosLabs - a global network of threat intelligence centers. With more than two decades of experience, Sophos is regarded as a leader in security and data protection by top analyst firms and has received many industry awards.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.