We’ve talked about scarewares many times before.
Scarewares use scare tactics to convince people to install their rogueware / malware. These roguewares are often in the form of an antivirus. A window would pop up alerting you that your computer is infected and that you need to install this antivirus to take care of the problem. The pop-up is part of the malicious website and is not from your OS. And, the so-called antivirus is actually a harmful software. They are, in many cases, trojans engineered to steal your bank information and / or other personal data.
According to the APWG report, the number of fake antivirus programs detected grew by 585% between January and June this year.
The APWG estimates more than 200 gangs throughout the world are responsible for the bulk of rogue security software applications floating around the internet, although only 10 of these gangs are responsible for more than 77% of the rogue malware infections.
5 fake security softwares to avoid:
- SpySheriff – SpySherrif is extremely difficult to remove by traditional security scanners. In additional to credit card fraud, this piece of crafty spyware can block internet connections, create multiple administration accounts, stop critical programs from responding and block access to several useful websites that might be used to clean any malware infection.
Also known as: System Security, SpywareStrike, SpyShredder and Spybot – just to name a few. - WinFixer - Used mainly to extort users through credit card fraud.
Also Known as: WinAntiSpyware, AVSystemCare, WinAntiSpy and Windows Police Pro. These are among 20 other given names for WinFixer. - MacSweeper - Targets Mac computers. And, you thought Macs were safe. This one has been busted by the big security firms already and there are instructions for removal available online. The usual credit card fraud aspect applies and encourages users to pay for a full trial version.
Also known as: KiVVi Software, Cleanator. - Green Antivirus 2009 – Credit card fraud warning.
Also know as: Green AV. - MS Antivirus 2009 – once downloaded, the malware can disable genuine virus scanners and make it difficult to remove.
Also known as: Extremely popular and ever changing its name, it’s also known as Windows Antivirus, Win Antivirus, Antivirus Pro and Antivirus Pro 2009 – among many many others.
More will, inevitably, spawn. Make sure your computer is protected.
Verified by Visa Phishing Attacks Emerge