McAfee warns of scareware plague

[GaryW]

David Neal, V3.co.uk, Tuesday 9 March 2010 at 11:47:00
Fake anti-virus scams extracting millions from unwary users
Security firm McAfee has used its first
Consumer
Threat Alert to advise web users of the dangers of fake anti-virus scams.
Malware writers are increasingly using the technique to snare unwary users by
presenting pop-up windows appearing to be a security report from a recognised
firm.
The ads prompt the user to 'scan' their computer for viruses, but in fact
often deliver malware designed to steal personal data and credit card
information.
\"It is an incredibly lucrative business for cyber criminals,\" said François
Paget, senior virus research engineer at McAfee Avert Labs.
\"In fact, one company known as Innovative Marketing made an estimated $180m
[£120m] through these scams in one year, and more than four million consumers
purchased their fake security software thinking it was real.\"
McAfee said that users should also be wary of free screensavers and other
applications from non-trusted sources, and that it has seen a fourfold increase
in the number of so-called 'scareware' incidents over the past year.
\"Even the savviest of computer users falls victim to online threats because
cyber criminals have become so sophisticated,\" said Jeff Green, senior vice
president of McAfee Avert Labs.
\"The Consumer Threat Alerts are a warning to keep consumers from falling
victim to online dangers. We are on the front lines watching and protecting
against threats, and we pass that knowledge on to consumers.\"
The firm has posted a
video
about the scams on its Consumer Threats blog, as well as a range of tricks
to spot and ways of limiting the risk of attack.


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