Antivirus 2009: How to Remove Fake AV Software

November 13, 2008 – 7:10 PM

A new threat that comes under the guise of a genuine antivirus program has become increasingly prevalent over the past year. Offering to locate and remove malware from your PC, this rogue will actually install a Trojan on your unsuspecting system. The process is usually initiated when you click a link for what you believe is valid security software or its vendor’s site.

Such adverts are not only a nuisance when browsing online — fake ads appear on reputable sites that make use of third-party advertising — but they are designed to rip off consumers by tempting them to pay for a worthless program. Worse still, these rogue applications infect your PC with a problem they claim can only be ‘fixed’ by purchasing extra software.

If a fake antimalware app is installed on your PC, you will begin to receive fairly persistent warning messages that your system has been infected and be advised to visit a particular site and pay for the necessary protection. You’ll be told that you have a trial version of the software installed and need to upgrade to remove all threats.

Such has been the success of these scams that several of the fake programs have become infamous. WinAntiSpyware, Antivirus 2008 (recently updated to 2009), Antispyware Pro XP and AntiVirus Lab 2009 are all suspect — and no doubt others will soon emulate them.

With similar tactics having been previously used to perpetrate fraud such as phishing, the scammers have latched on to a very effective way to play on people’s existing security fears.

Source:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/153810/fake_antivirus_apps.html?tk=rss_news