Home / malware Other:W32/Hoax
First posted on 18 May 2010.
Source: SecurityHomeAliases :
There are no other names known for Other:W32/Hoax.
Explanation :
A malicious program that does not fall into any other category.
Additional DetailsWhen searching our Virus Descriptions database for a specific program (e.g., Hoax:W32/Example.A), you may be directed to this page if the overview below sufficiently describes the program.
Alternatively, you may be directed to this page if no description matching that specific query is currently available. You can submit a sample of the suspect file to our Response Lab for further analysis via:
• Sample Analysis System
About Hoaxes
The Type designation 'Hoax' was previously used by F-Secure to identify an application that does not perform as claimed. This differs from the more common usage of the term 'hoax' to refer to fake, alarming or misleading e-mail messages, which we no longer catalog.
With changes in the threat landscape today, programs previously identified as 'Hoax' have since been reclassified under the Riskware Category, with the Type designation 'Application'.
These programs may be listed under the family name 'Application:W32/Hoax'; specific programs which perform significant actions or pose a notable risk may be further described in in individual Description pages.
The update in naming better clarifies the program's overall security profile in the current, more complex threat landscape.
More
For more information, see Encyclopedia: Hoax.
Application files or toolbars that are used to propagate fraud are detected with the prefix Not-Virus:Hoax.
Detections beginning with the prefix not-virus:Hoax.HTML are of websites containing fraudulent information. The site is fraudulent rather than malicious. The antivirus engine is detecting the site's HTML rather than a drive-by-download.Last update 18 May 2010
