Fake Antiviruses and Fake Tech Support | Total Security

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Fake Antiviruses and Fake Tech Support | Total Security

At the end of the last decade, when the majority of personal computer users already knew about the dangers of viruses and the need to use antivirus software, a new type of malware emerged - scareware.

By playing on the user's fear, scammers force him to pay money for the operation of a completely useless or even malicious program.


To do this, the user first creates the illusion that his computer is infected and then promises that a new antivirus Antivirus XP or MacProtector (the name can be very different) will be able to cure your computer and further provide one hundred per cent protection from cyber attacks.

Fake antivirus can be obtained in a variety of ways. For example, visiting some questionable site, the user sees a message that his computer is infected. A banner appears on the screen that can simulate an operating system window.


Also, rogue antiviruses spread as email attachments can be downloaded to an already infected computer by a special bootloader virus, or they can penetrate the system through exploits - like all other malicious programs.


After this program got to your computer, it reports that there are allegedly many infected files on your hard disk. Then you are offered to correct the situation with the help of money, for example, buy a more advanced version of this "antivirus" - instead of a free test.

Fake antiviruses can imitate the actions of various computer viruses (which is remarkable, precisely those actions that can be detected visually, for example, the "blue screen of death"). Pseudo-antiviruses can have a rather believable interface and a lot of settings that affect only the user's mind. Moreover, some pseudo-antiviruses suggest contacting technical support.


Fake technical support itself has recently also become a popular method of fraud. Usually, these are phone calls allegedly from technical specialists of some large software company to employees of companies where the products of this company are used. They declare that they have found viruses on the victim's computer and, abundantly spicing up their speech with special technical terms, try to convince the interlocutor to provide them with remote access to the computer.


What is the Danger

Installing a rogue anti-virus program on your computer, as well as providing remote access to it to dubious individuals, are fraught with various unpleasant consequences. In any case, they are associated with the extraction of illegal profits by the attackers. The creators of fake antiviruses most often make money on the sale of their programs, which, as already noted, are of no use at best. But since we are talking about a program with functionality hidden from the user, it can do anything: steal passwords and credit card details, send spam, download other malicious applications, etc.


It also happens that the user actually gets a real antivirus program at his disposal (its development costs nothing to fraudsters since it is based on free software), but at an inflated price.


How to Protect Yourself

You should not download antivirus software from unknown sites. If you want to protect your computer, choose and install a legal antivirus yourself, and not under the influence of scary banners. It is useful to study tests and reviews of antivirus programs carried out by reputable publications and organizations, and then purchase the protection package you like using information from the official website of the developers.

Most often, a real antivirus running on a computer itself recognizes a fake antivirus as a malicious program, so you simply will not have any doubts. Note: we say "most often" because no antivirus can objectively give a 100% guarantee. But it is precisely the one hundred per cent guarantee that fake antiviruses are so fond of promising users!

you should interrupt the conversation and contact the support service of this company yourself. To do this, you can use the contact information from its official website, or even better - take them from the documents that are in the box from the purchased software.

How to Fix the Problem

If you suspect that a rogue antivirus has already infiltrated your computer, you should proceed in the same way as when infecting your computer with other malware. The procedure is approximate as follows:


Clean up your computer with a real total security antivirus product (you don't even have to pay for this since antivirus developers usually offer free programs to treat your computer, and also allow you to use full packages for free for a certain trial period).

Change all passwords for your accounts on various online resources.

If credit card details could be stolen, it is better to block and reissue such cards.

Any payments to fraudsters for their "antivirus" must be cancelled through the bank; you also need to carefully check the statement on the "flashed" cards, and if any strange payments are found, they also need to be cancelled.

And of course, after curing your computer, you need to install and timely update a real antivirus that will help you avoid similar problems in the future.

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