Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Google Warns of Rise in Fake Anti Virus Software and Malware
The results of a Google study, released on the 28th April 2010, show that fake anti virus software is increasing. Often referred to as scareware, these programs can infect computers by tricking users into downloading malicious software to "fix" non-existent viruses and malware. What did Google learn, how do these systems work and why do people fall for them?
Fake Anti Virus Software Accounts for 15% of Malicious Software on the Internet
The Google study lasted 13 months (between January 2009 and February 2010) and examined 240 million web pages. It concluded that fake anti virus programs accounted for 15% of online malware and that 11,000 web domains were involved in the spread of this kind of program.
The study also showed that Windows users were the most targeted and that over half of these programs were delivered via adverts. Catching the people responsible is made much harder, even though Google has measures in place, because they rapidly switch sites across different domains to avoid detection.
How do Fake Anti Virus Malware and Scareware Work?
A fake anti virus program may first appear as a legitimate looking pop-up window that tells the user that they have a dangerous virus. They are then prompted to click to buy anti virus protection to sort out their system. There is, however, no virus at all but the advert contains a potential problem if the user then clicks on it.
Clicking may then simply download malware on to the system. This may install malicious code that disables/damages the computer or that steals personal data. Or, as is often the case, the user will go through to a site where they enter credit card details to buy the supposedly legitimate anti virus software. Their financial details may then be stolen by the scammers and they may still be left with residual malware on their machines.
Source: Carol Finch
Fake Anti Virus Software Accounts for 15% of Malicious Software on the Internet
The Google study lasted 13 months (between January 2009 and February 2010) and examined 240 million web pages. It concluded that fake anti virus programs accounted for 15% of online malware and that 11,000 web domains were involved in the spread of this kind of program.
The study also showed that Windows users were the most targeted and that over half of these programs were delivered via adverts. Catching the people responsible is made much harder, even though Google has measures in place, because they rapidly switch sites across different domains to avoid detection.
How do Fake Anti Virus Malware and Scareware Work?
A fake anti virus program may first appear as a legitimate looking pop-up window that tells the user that they have a dangerous virus. They are then prompted to click to buy anti virus protection to sort out their system. There is, however, no virus at all but the advert contains a potential problem if the user then clicks on it.
Clicking may then simply download malware on to the system. This may install malicious code that disables/damages the computer or that steals personal data. Or, as is often the case, the user will go through to a site where they enter credit card details to buy the supposedly legitimate anti virus software. Their financial details may then be stolen by the scammers and they may still be left with residual malware on their machines.
Source: Carol Finch
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