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 email messages, which we no longer catalog.
Based on the settings of your F-Secure security product, it will either move the file to the quarantine where it cannot spread or cause harm, or remove it.
A False Positive is when a file is incorrectly detected as harmful, usually because its code or behavior resembles known harmful programs. A False Positive will usually be fixed in a subsequent database update without any action needed on your part. If you wish, you may also:
Check for the latest database updates
First check if your F-Secure security program is using the latest updates, then try scanning the file again.
Submit a sample
After checking, if you still believe the file is incorrectly detected, you can submit a sample of it for re-analysis.
Note: If the file was moved to quarantine, you need to collect the file from quarantine before you can submit it.
Exclude a file from further scanning
If you are certain that the file is safe and want to continue using it, you can exclude it from further scanning by the F-Secure security product.
Note: You need administrative rights to change the settings.
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 individual Description pages.
The update in naming better clarifies the program's overall security profile in the current, more complex threat landscape.
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.