The JDBGMGR Virus Hoax

JDBGMGR is more than just a jumble of letters. It is an email hoax that could potentially leave you or your computer in a compromised situation. Also known as Teddy, Teddybear, BlankA, W32/Bugbear-A worm solution and the JDBGMGR.EXE virus, this scam takes several forms, but they can all be avoid with some simple diligence and by keeping your antivirus software up-to-date.

JDBGMGR is known as a virus hoax, which means that a scammer tries to make you think you have a virus on your computer. In this hoax, the scammer tells you in an email or through a website pop-up that you have a virus in your JDBGMGR.EXE file, or that the file is a virus itself.

In reality, the JDBGMGR file is a common file that can be found on most computers. It's simply a Microsoft Debugger Registrar for Java that is installed with Internet Explorer and isn't harmful at all to your computer. In fact, if you are a Java developer, you will actually need this file.

The hoax is usually presented as an email warning that you should delete the JDBGMGR.EXE file from your computer, instructing you to look for a little teddy bear icon beside the file name. Often the email will instruct you not to open the file under any circumstances, which of course, in reality, won't hurt your computer at all. It will also tell you that popular antivirus software will not detect the virus' presence.

The hoax email may come from a trusted friend or family member. This is because the hoax email often instructs the recipient to forward the email to everyone in their address book. So, the email goes from one person to the next as long as it is believed to be legit.

Sometimes the emails will include instructions to download a new file. This new file or software can actually be a virus posing as a fix for your computer. Don't follow the directions in the email and don't open any attachments. Stop the spread of this hoax by deleting the email right away.

Another form of the hoax is a website pop-up that looks a lot like an actual warning from Microsoft Windows. The pop-up might instruct you to scan your system right away because you might have corrupted files.

By clicking on the scan option in the website pop-up, visitors are often taken to a website that looks like a real antivirus software control panel. The control panel will scan your system and tell you that certain files have viruses. The JDBGMGR.EXE file may be one of them.

The best way to tell that you are being duped is by noticing that the control panel is located within a web browser. During this scan, the site may download viruses or malicious tracking software onto your computer. If you stumble across one of these sites, run a real system scan with your online security software.

Though the JDBGMGR virus is a hoax, it can lead to a real virus. As long as you stay diligent and don't fall for the scammers' tricks, your computer will stay virus free.

At TopTenREVIEWS We Do the Research So You Don’t Have To.™