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New PC Virus Deceives Users by Appearing as Antivirus Program

As per the reports released by WWAY on September 15, 2009, a new computer virus is attacking millions of systems globally by appearing as an antivirus application for the removal of hidden malicious codes.

It is known as 'Personal Antivirus.' The bogus antivirus solution looks identical to Symantec or other antivirus software. An alert or warning page displays on the screen informing user's system contains virus. Thereafter, it encourages the user to repair system by downloading the fake software (Personal Antivirus) that instead infects computer with viruses.

Manny "Papageek" Lloyd, a computer expert, has stated that we get numerous pop-ups and things of that kind; and if they ask to pay a fee to remove the viruses, then it is a big alert sign to avoid clicking on such pop-ups, as per the reports by WWAY on September 15, 2009.

However, the good news is that this malware has been recognized as "Mal/FakeAvJs-A" and seems to be a nuisance rather than a severe security threat. It is said that this malware does not have the capacity to pass on private information from an infected system or to gravely deteriorate a system's operation.

In fact, it is made to deceive users into believing that their system is infected with viruses and then provide them an offer of purchasing a removal program called "Personal Antivirus." Unfortunately, the only bad thing about this software is that it eliminates $59.99 from user's card account.

It seems that not a single day passes without any new online threat emerging in the cyber world. With baffling (confusing) terms like worms, rootkits and Trojans being circulated, there should not be any hesitation for users to accept defeat. Though there is numerous jargons regarding online threats, once someone understands the basics, safety is not a puzzling issue as it appears.

Security experts have advised not to open unsolicited mail attachments and run antivirus solutions regularly. As an authentic antivirus software informs users about the expiry of subscription, it will never encourage them to sign up.

Moreover, The New York Times lately confirmed its initial misgiving that a fake advertiser put visitors of the site at risk of malware installation using 'Personal Antivirus.'

Related article: New Zealand Releases Code To Reduce Spam

» SPAMfighter News - 10/6/2009

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