Fake news are basically news which are made up and have no basis in facts.
hoax - Wiktionary
When they appear on social media networks and other platforms, they often appear legitimate if they imitate the look of a renowned publication. Fake news exist about celebrities, companies and even entire groups of people who are blamed for something negative.
Just as in a hoax, the makers of fake news aim to provoke a strong emotional reaction in the reader by using surprising, outrageous or scandalous reports as their vehicle. This has a purpose: Cyber criminals have started using this mechanism to place phishing links or to distribute malware by enticing people to click on a fake news report. Those who like, share or comment on fake news are not necessarily real users: In most cases, the profiles have a profile picture, a couple of friends in their friend list but nothing more.
Using specialized software, the operators can control thousands of these fake accounts and tell them what to do. This can distort and falsify the overall opinion on the web and fuel discussions which ultimately serve their own needs. Is the message it contains actually true?
UPDATE: Law enforcement says alleged drug deal robbery resulted in AMBER Alert hoax
Tell those who have sent you such a message about the fake content. This will stop rumours and fake messages spreading on the Internet. The term describes ways of deception and persuasion by which victims are coaxed into giving up information. What actually is a hoax?
Three examples of hoaxes. Hoaxes spread rapidly on Facebook. Many Facebook users are good multiplicators for those.
The following signs should set alarm bells ringing:
History and Etymology for hoax Verb probably contraction of hocus Noun see hoax entry 1. Learn More about hoax. Resources for hoax Time Traveler! Explore the year a word first appeared. From the Editors at Merriam-Webster. Dictionary Entries near hoax hoary willow hoast hoatzin hoax hob hob and nob Hobart. Time Traveler for hoax The first known use of hoax was circa See more words from the same year. More Definitions for hoax.
More from Merriam-Webster on hoax Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with hoax Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for hoax Spanish Central: Translation of hoax Nglish: Translation of hoax for Spanish Speakers Britannica English: Comments on hoax What made you want to look up hoax? Get Word of the Day daily email!
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Retrieved 1 May Ain't It Cool News. For a good time Retrieved from " https: Virus hoaxes Computer viruses Computer security exploits Email Types of malware. Incomplete lists from August Use dmy dates from August Views Read Edit View history. Languages Polski Svenska Edit links. This page was last edited on 30 November , at By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. This is a hoax that warned about a supposed virus discovered by Microsoft and McAfee named "Antichrist", telling the user that it is installed via an e-mail with the subject line: A chain message beginning around It begins with the message warning of a virus that hides in an attachment labeled Black in Whitehouse or something similar, saying that if you open it, then it opens an Olympic Torch that burns down the C disk.
Supposedly would erase the user's hard drive and steal the user's screen name and password. Warnings about a computer virus named "Good Times" began being passed around among Internet users in The Goodtimes virus was supposedly transmitted via an email bearing the subject header "Good Times" or "Goodtimes," hence the virus's name, and the warning recommended deleting any such email unread.
The virus described in the warnings did not exist, but the warnings themselves, were, in effect, virus-like. The invitation virus hoax involved an e-mail spam in that advised computer users to delete an email, with any type of attachment that stated "invitation" because it was a computer virus. This is also known as the Olympic Torch virus hoax see below.
The hoax was spread through the Internet around January in Brazil.
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- Amber Alert called off, police say it was a hoax!
- hoax | Definition of hoax in English by Oxford Dictionaries!
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It was a virus attached to an e-mail, which was spread around the Internet. The attached file was supposedly called "Life is beautiful. Programs were actual, legitimate computer games; author claimed that they were viruses which would "wipe out" the user's hard drive on Christmas Day.