If my computer is attacked by a malicous program, I don't care what you call it, it needs to get fixed.

If I get an email telling me a file that is a normal part of my operating system is a virus and must be deleted, it's a hoax.

The confusion appears to come from the fact that this file, which the hoax is telling me to delete, is a file that is the target of an actual virus. The hoax would have you believe the existence of the file is evidence of infection. That is a lie. The truth is that this file may indeed be infected on some computers.