Online Criminals Adopt New Tactics to Sell Fake Anti-Virus Products

Internet users need to be cautious of a fresh scam that posts fraud reviews in an attempt to dodge people into buying a bogus security software dubbed Anti-virus-1.

According to security experts, the software is one of those many fake security applications that claim of providing comprehensive protection from all sorts of latest Internet threats, but in reality, they have been fabricated to circulate malicious content or to hold the users' systems to ransom.

In case an unsuspicious user downloads this rogue anti-virus program, the installer adds a sequence of strange entries into the host files of the Windows. Actually, these entries direct the user to malicious sites controlled by the developers of this fake software. These sites are fake versions of legitimate web sites which then offer the user enticing reviews and recommendations so that he/she ends up into buying the full version of that fake software.

It is not an unusual thing for a malware to make alterations in the host files. Basically, it is to prevent the user from visiting security sites.

Interestingly, to have a glance at these reviews, a user must execute the malware on his PC and should do so while being logged-in as an administrator. However, nearly every decent anti-malware software would detect the changes made to the Hosts and inform the user of the same.

Sharing his experience of installing Anti-virus-1, which is also known as Antivirus2010, Lawrence Abrams, owner of the technology site BleepingComputer.com, stated that the software installation triggered adding entries into the Windows host files, purportedly directing him to a number of US and UK tech web sites, as reported by PC ADVISOR on February 20, 2009.

Abrams further added that upon installation, Anti-virus-1 also issues bogus security alerts as well as screen savers displaying a blue screen crash due to a spyware and hijacks of Internet Explorer.

PC Advisor, one of the targeted sites of the aforesaid scam, stated that the bogus review is not hosted on its web site. TechRadar and PC Magazine are the other alleged victims of the scam.

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» SPAMfighter News - 2/26/2009