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Rogue security software
Fake security software distributed over the internet used to extort money out of noobs and little old ladies.
Summary
Ever browse the World Wide Web casually one day, maybe you want to look at raunchy porn, or get a keygen for warez... Or maybe you are looking at a site about cute fluffy bunnies....
Then you get an annoying popup telling you that your computer is at risk and you need to get this brand spanking new antivirus/antispyware program you've never heard of!!!!1!!! Then when you download it, you see a message saying that you are infected, but need to pay money to get the full version.
It's a scam, dude. In reality the program is crippling your computer and trying to make you pay money to the people who wrote the program responsible for screwing up the computer. This makes rogue security software a type of scareware.
Some of the websites have slick advertising, but you need to google the names - if the results talk about how it's fake, then you need to not download it - It may be best to stick with the trusted brand names like McAfee, Symantec, AVG, Kaspersky, etc.
If you do encounter a popup, don't click it anywhere (it can have a "No" button that automatically downloads the spyware) - Do Ctrl-Alt-Del and shut down the web browser process.
Origins
A lot of scareware, including these programs, originate from Eastern Europe.
Current status
Still going strong.
Images
 Many rogue software applications try to look like real ones (this one tries to look like AVG) |
 SpySheriff, one of the well-known fake programs |
 SpySheriff |
 Fake message warning with Engrish |
 BraveSentry, a clone of SpySheriff |
 BraveSentry has a fake warning message |
 |
 The truth is... |
 It's a damn scam! |
Videos
Related Pages
External Links
You can find additional software here.
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