Anyone who is familiar with using a computer knows that viruses, spyware and malwares are dangerous. There are many possible things that can or will happen if their computer gets infected. Some of the probable outcomes will be that they will likely lose a lot of files, their programs won’t run, their computer won’t start up, or worse, their personal data can be stolen. This is why computer users, who are not really tech-savvy, in their attempt to keep their computer protected, are getting duped into acquiring fake security software or rogueware.
The worst part of this endeavor is that the program makes fake scans, in a very convincing and credible window, while showing you false reports and asking you to upgrade or to buy its full version to remove any infection they have found. The truth is, since it was a fake scan in the first place, this means there is nothing really bad going on.
If you have encountered a website that offers a free scan, it is actually common sense to not take their offer. The reason behind this is that their intention might not be to find infections in your computer, but to create false infections in it. To further alarm the user, the program will begin to display a variety of fake security alerts and warnings, such as:
Security Center Alert
To help protect your computer, Security Center has blocked some features of this program.
Security Center Alert
Unauthorized remote connection!
These alerts intend to make the user believe that the computer they are using is really infected and therefore needs to be rid of these nasty scripts. However, it is important to remember that these are fake security alerts and there is nothing to get alarmed about.
These rogueware come from the same family as AntiVirus 2011, AntiSpyware 2011, AntiVirus System 2011, Security Inspector 2010, Win 7 Internet Security 2011, Win 7 Guard, Win 7 Security, and many more. Some of these programs are Trojans and are installed in your computer without your knowledge and permission. The worst part is that they are hard to remove and running your malware removal program will not likely work and each rogueware needs to be removed in different ways. Searching the Internet on how to remove your specific rogueware will help.
After removing your rogueware, make sure to install an antivirus or anti-malware programs. There are plenty of free antivirus programs in the market and most of them are highly suitable to give you adequate protection. After installation, just make sure not to get duped by these roguewares as well as their fake virus and spyware detection again.
As they always say, prevention is better than cure! 🙂
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Thank you so much Klaus for alerting us, this will keep us aware from this kinda false antiviruses….
Hi DJ,
Glad you have been informed about these kinds of false antiviruses.
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innocent people are trapped by these fake antivirus. I have seen many of my customers complaining about this.
Hi Musthafa,
Those who are non-techies, young children and even the elderly are usually the ones targeted by these fake antivirus programs or rogueware. We must always be wary of these kinds of things when online. A single click could actually kill your computer if you’re not too careful.
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I had to remove rogue-ware off one of my roommate’s computer recently. He is not that tech savy and got duped into adding it to the computer. It has become a real drag.
Hi Darcy,
I can relate to that. Back when I was just new to computers, I nearly got tricked into allowing my computer to be infected with viruses. Trojans are the most rampant type I encounter. It’s a good thing the antivirus and firewall my husband installed on my computer keeps these harmful viruses at bay.
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I myself got dupped by one of these recently, and i can’t even remember clicking on anything like that. It was a Windows Network Recovery Trojan. It buried itself deeper than I have ever seen and set off cluster attacks at different times, as well as hiding a backup of itself to go off a week later and wipe my laptop for a second time. IT really is a nasty one and I am trying hard not to have to do a complete wipe but I think it is unavoidable.
Hi Shane,
I agree with you that even if we are very careful on avoiding these nasty viruses, the programmers (that make them) think of new and clever ways to conceal them, making them look like scanners and then help you remove anything harmful they find on your computer.
The most practical thing to do on your situation is to reformat your laptop. It really is quite troublesome but that’s the only way to ensure that you totally eliminate that harmful rogueware.
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Thanks for expressing your ideas right here.I had to spend a little time to look for your facebook and twitter, i’ve following in twitter.Many thanks and also satisfied running a blog.
Hi Sarah,
Glad you liked this post. Thanks for following on Twitter and Facebook 🙂
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These kind of spyware or rogueware can really fool a lot of non techy internet users. They have good imitation skills and their threatening message sells a lot. What we can do is to inform our friends, families and neighbors about this kind of unwanted wares roaming around the net.
Hi Ron,
What you said is very true – rogueware can easily scare people (especially the non-techies) and this fear compels them to accept help from anybody who offers it. Turns out the offered help is the one that will spread harmful viruses in your computer. Spreading the information about it is probably the only way to keep us aware of these kinds of annoying and destructive rogueware.
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I’m nothing of a computer pro myself, but I have never been fooled by such rogueware. I find it hard to believe that people still trust free programs. I mean, security software is really important so I personally buy it from the company that my friends recommended.
Hi Richard,
Glad you’ve never fallen victim to these rogueware. Even if you have a paid antivirus program, there are still times that even these paid programs can be successfully infiltrated by newly developed malware, viruses, rogueware, etc. Free programs aren’t that insignificant.
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This fooled me even and i had my Laptop out of commission for 2 days one week and 3 days the next. It really was a nasty Trojan. It buried itself deeper than I have seen and then had cluster bombs set as well to go off at various times. I am still a little wary and Might do a hard security wipe, but I am hoping not to have to do that.
I have been a victim of these fake scans online before and now I have learned how to avoid them. Many of them would just pop on your screen and next thing you know, you are either on an ad or a big survey. So beware surfers.
Hi (uhhh) Coal Reports,
Yeah, we must be wary of anything suspicious we encounter on the Net. If we fall victim to these fake scans, the best we can hope for is that we can save our computer and our data in it. After that, be alert so you’d not to be victimized again.
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Thank you so much for alerting more people about these fake scans! I’ve’ been telling friends and family about this for a long time, but now I can at least email them a URL of an article so they can read it for themselves!
Delena
My Pc was infected with one of these the other day think it was called “Windows 7 total security. Don’t know how it got there as I didn’t give any permissions to download or install anything. Had a hell of a job removing it because it would not let me on the internet to search for the answer. I eventually identified its process in task manager, its has three random letters then .exe eg dgt.exe I then kept terminating the process, managed to download Spyware Doctor which helped me get rid of it.
The truth is even techie people fall victim to malwares like these, they are just too proud to admit it. If a fake scan seems to be well made, it simply convinces people that the scan is authentic. However, if you are confident in your AV and Firewall, the chances of falling victim to these is nearly nil.
Most websites offering free browser virus scans are fake. I hate those websites and always try to stay away. I have not had any problems with Virus/Spyware after moving from PC to MacBook.
That’s absolutely true. Malware tends to alarm everyone including the computer experts. What you can do is to scan your computer every time you plug in a USB or external device and upgrade your antivirus regularly. You can be sure that there are no viruses in your computer..
Thanks for a great article- I lost my computer last year due to a very vicious virus.
You just can’t be too careful!
If there is one thing you need to pay for, it’s your antivirus software. Being cheap about it and saving money on those things will make you lose it on the long run.
Everybody who falls for the free online checks of their computer deserves a bit of a slap on the fingers.