Fake anti-virus software on the rise

There are many ways a computer user can get a virus.  Opening an infected email, visiting an infected web site, or downloading infected software are among the means these malicious programs can be transferred to the computer.

Another way is by use of what is called "scareware."  This usually shows as a popup that appears to be legitimate and is designed to look like a real security site or Windows dialog and literally scares the user with dire warnings.  Sometimes, the warnings will go so far as to make the user believe their job or marriage could be at risk.

Normally, the dialog looks so convincing the user will click on it, and in doing so, cause the machine to become literally infested with viruses and spyware often rendering the machine totally useless.  Sometimes, the software can steal your private personal information or cause you to purchase software that has little or no value.

Sometimes it will disable any anti-virus software or block other tools that could be used to repair the computer.

What makes scareware so effective is that it looks exactly like the real thing, and displays messages like, "You’re Infected!; Windows has been infected; Warning: Malware Infections founds; Malware threat detected". 

This should be your first clue that something is wrong.  This tactic is known as "social engineering" because the designers know that if a user sees a dialog that looks legitimate enough with a dire enough warning, the user will probably run the program.

Microsoft shows an example of scareware called AntivirusXP, and explains that some fake software is designed to "spoof the Microsoft Security update process."

CA Technologies issued a report this week, entitled State of the Internet 2010: A Report on the Ever-Changing Threat Landscape that says,

Also known as “scareware” or Fake AV, the first half of 2010 saw this category of malware continue its dominance. Google became the preferred target for distribution of rogue security software through Blackhat SEO, which manipulates search results to favor links to infected websites domains. Rogue security software displays bogus alerts following installation and will coerce users to pay for the fake product/service. An interesting trend observed recently is the prevalence of rogue security software cloning, whereby the software employs a template that constructs its product name based on the infected system’s Windows operating system version, further enhancing its perceived legitimacy

The bottom line is that you must be extremely careful before clicking anything that pops up on your screen.

To protect yourself from these threats, Microsoft recommends you:

• Install a firewall and keep it turned on.
• Use automatic updating to keep your operating system and software up to date.
• Install antivirus and antispyware software such as Microsoft Security Essentials and keep it updated. For links to other antivirus programs that work with Microsoft, see Microsoft Help and Support List of Antivirus Vendors.
• If your antivirus software does not include antispyware software, you should install a separate antispyware program such as Windows Defender and keep it updated. (Windows Defender is available as a free download for Windows XP and is included in Windows Vista.)
• Use caution when you click links in e-mail or on social networking Web sites.
• Use a standard user account instead of an administrator account.
• Familiarize yourself with common phishing scams.

If you think you may have some of this fake software on your computer, you should immediately run a virus scan with software like Avast, then check your accounts to make sure no information has been stolen.  If you see software that you are not familiar with, uninstall it until you are certain it is legitimate.

You may need to call a computer service company to have your computer checked out. 

Scareware is nothing to joke about and it can cause you much more than a few dollars in repair bills.