The persistence of hoax

Tuesday, 15 July 2003, 6:50 AM EST

"I received the e-mail this morning from someone who got it from the governor's office," came the tired complaint.

Somewhere in the world, government workers in high place had fallen for the "Teddy Bear" hoax, a.k.a. "jdbgmgr.exe." Lemmings were heading for the cliff to delete the "virus," obeying the e-mail suggestions of the joker who wrote the trick. If one finds a file on the PC, anything cryptic-looking -- like a program with the stuffed toy for an icon, it must be a virus. Doubly so, if someone you know carries the news.

No one would stop to think that since they do not know anything of the contents of their computer, they weren't in any position to distinguish what is good or bad, what should be removed or not.

For months, even years, a wealth of information has existed on the net about Teddy Bear and still it comes on, wrote the correspondent.

Why?

[ Read more ]





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