Scam scareware
Internet security writers use the term "scareware" to describe software products that produce frivolous and alarming warnings or threat notices, most typically for fictitious or useless commercial firewall and registry cleaner software. This class of program tries to increase its perceived value by bombarding the user with constant warning messages that do not increase its effectiveness in any way. Software is packaged with a look and feel that mimics legitimate security software in order to deceive consumers. [6]
Some websites display pop-up advertisement windows or banners with text such as: "Your computer may be infected with harmful spyware programs. [7] Immediate removal may be required. To scan, click 'Yes' below." These websites can go as far as saying that a user's job, career, or marriage would be at risk. Products with advertisements such as these are often considered scareware. Serious scareware applications qualify as rogue software.
Some scareware is not affiliated with any other installed programs. A user can encounter a pop-up on a website indicating that their PC is infected. [8] In some scenarios, it is possible to become infected with scareware even if the user attempts to cancel the notification. These popups are specially designed to look like they come from the user's operating system when they are actually a webpage.
A 2010 study by Google found 11,000 domains hosting fake anti-virus software, accounting for 50% of all malware delivered via internet advertising. [9]
Starting on March 29, 2011, more than 1.5 million web sites around the world have been infected by the LizaMoon SQL injection attack spread by scareware. [10] [11]
Research by Google discovered that scareware was using some of its servers to check for internet connectivity. The data suggested that up to a million machines were infected with scareware. [12] The company has placed a warning in the search results for users whose computers appear to be infected.
Another example of scareware is Smart Fortress. This site scares the victim into thinking they have many viruses on their computer and asks them to buy a professional service. [13]
Spyware
Some forms of spyware also qualify as scareware because they change the user's desktop background, install icons in the computer's notification area (under Microsoft Windows), and claiming that some kind of spyware has infected the user's computer and that the scareware application will help to remove the infection. In some cases, scareware trojans have replaced the desktop of the victim with large, yellow text reading "Warning! You have spyware!" or a box containing similar text, and have even forced the screensaver to change to "bugs" crawling across the screen. [14] Winwebsec is the term usually used to address the malware that attacks the users of Windows operating system and produces fake claims similar to that of genuine anti-malware software. [15]
SpySheriff exemplifies spyware and scareware: it purports to remove spyware, but is actually a piece of spyware itself, often accompanying SmitFraud infections. [16] Other antispyware scareware may be promoted using a phishing scam.
Legal action
In 2005, Microsoft and Washington state successfully sued Secure Computer (makers of Spyware Cleaner) for $1 million over charges of using scareware pop-ups. [18] Washington's attorney general has also brought lawsuits against Securelink Networks, SoftwareOnline.com, [19] High Falls Media, and the makers of Quick Shield. [20]
In October 2008, Microsoft and the Washington attorney general filed a lawsuit against two Texas firms, Branch Software and Alpha Red, producers of the Registry Cleaner XP scareware. [21] The lawsuit alleges that the company sent incessant pop-ups resembling system warnings to consumers' personal computers stating "CRITICAL ERROR MESSAGE! - REGISTRY DAMAGED AND CORRUPTED", before instructing users to visit a web site to download Registry Cleaner XP at a cost of $39.95.
On December 2, 2008, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission ("FTC") filed a Complaint in federal court against Innovative Marketing, Inc., ByteHosting Internet Services, LLC, as well as individuals Sam Jain, Daniel Sundin, James Reno, Marc D’Souza, and Kristy Ross. The Complaint also listed Maurice D’Souza as a Relief Defendant, alleged that he held proceeds of wrongful conduct but not accusing him of violating any law. The FTC alleged that the other Defendants violated the FTC Act by deceptively marketing software, including WinFixer, WinAntivirus, DriveCleaner, ErrorSafe, and XP Antivirus. According to the complaint, the Defendants falsely represented that scans of a consumer's computer showed that it had been compromised or infected and then offered to sell software to fix the alleged problems. [22] [23] [24]
Adware, often called advertising-supported software by its developers, is software that generates revenue for its developer by automatically generating online advertisements in the user interface of the software or on a screen presented to the user during the installation process. The software may generate two types of revenue: one is for the display of the advertisement and another on a "pay-per-click" basis, if the user clicks on the advertisement. Some advertisements also act as spyware, collecting and reporting data about the user, to be sold or used for targeted advertising or user profiling. The software may implement advertisements in a variety of ways, including a static box display, a banner display, a full screen, a video, a pop-up ad or in some other form. All forms of advertising carry health, ethical, privacy and security risks for users.
Spyware is any software with malicious behavior that aims to gather information about a person or organization and send it to another entity in a way that harms the user by violating their privacy, endangering their device's security, or other means. This behavior may be present in malware and in legitimate software. Websites may engage in spyware behaviors like web tracking. Hardware devices may also be affected.
A registry cleaner is a class of third-party utility software designed for the Microsoft Windows operating system, whose purpose is to remove redundant items from the Windows Registry.
WinFixer was a family of scareware rogue security programs developed by Winsoftware which claimed to repair computer system problems on Microsoft Windows computers if a user purchased the full version of the software. The software was mainly installed without the user's consent. McAfee claimed that "the primary function of the free version appears to be to alarm the user into paying for registration, at least partially based on false or erroneous detections." The program prompted the user to purchase a paid copy of the program.
AntiVirus Gold is rogue software developed by ICommerce Solutions S.A. that poses as a legitimate antivirus program. It attempts to persuade users to buy the software by displaying ads and other nagware. It is believed that the name of the program is an attempt at social engineering to confuse people about the legitimate program AVG Anti-Virus.
The Vundo Trojan is either a Trojan horse or a computer worm that is known to cause popups and advertising for rogue antispyware programs, and sporadically other misbehavior including performance degradation and denial of service with some websites including Google and Facebook. It also is used to deliver other malware to its host computers. Later versions include rootkits and ransomware.
Rogue security software is a form of malicious software and internet fraud that misleads users into believing there is a virus on their computer and aims to convince them to pay for a fake malware removal tool that actually installs malware on their computer. It is a form of scareware that manipulates users through fear, and a form of ransomware. Rogue security software has been a serious security threat in desktop computing since 2008. An early example that gained infamy was SpySheriff and its clones, such as Nava Shield.
SpySheriff is malware that disguises itself as anti-spyware software. It attempts to mislead the user with false security alerts, threatening them into buying the program. Like other rogue antiviruses, after producing a list of false threats, it prompts the user to pay to remove them. The software is particularly difficult to remove, since it nests its components in System Restore folders, and also blocks some system management tools. However, SpySheriff can be removed by an experienced user, antivirus software, or by using a rescue disk.
PC Tools, formerly known as WinGuides.com, was a software company acquired by Symantec in 2008; the new owner eventually discontinued the PC Tools name. Company headquarters were in Australia, with offices in Luxembourg, the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland and Ukraine. The company had previously developed and distributed security and optimization software for the Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows platforms.
The Zlob Trojan, identified by some antiviruses as Trojan.Zlob, is a Trojan horse which masquerades as a required video codec in the form of ActiveX. It was first detected in late 2005, but only started gaining attention in mid-2006.
Ultimate Defender is a rogue antivirus program published by Nous-Tech Solutions Ltd. The program is considered malware due to its difficult uninstallation and deceptive operation. It is commonly installed by the Vundo trojan.
VirusHeat is malware that disguises itself as a legitimate anti-virus program. VirusHeat tricks users into buying the full version of the program through repeated false alerts and popups, purporting to alert the user that there is a system error or they are infected, and must buy the full version to remove. It was launched on February 8, 2008.
MonaRonaDona is a browser hijacker that uses unique tactics through popups or alert messages stating that you are infected with a virus. It uses this message to send users on a hunt for a MonaRonaDona remedy only to run into other malicious websites.
Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) was an antivirus software (AV) product that provides protection against different types of malicious software, such as computer viruses, spyware, rootkits, and Trojan horses. Prior to version 4.5, MSE ran on Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7, but not on Windows 8 and later versions, which have built-in AV components known as Windows Defender. MSE 4.5 and later versions do not run on Windows XP. The license agreement allows home users and small businesses to install and use the product free of charge. It replaces Windows Live OneCare, a discontinued commercial subscription-based AV service, and the free Windows Defender, which only protected users from spyware until Windows 8.
MS Antivirus is a scareware rogue anti-virus which purports to remove virus infections found on a computer running Microsoft Windows. It attempts to scam the user into purchasing a "full version" of the software. The company and the individuals behind Bakasoftware operated under other different 'company' names, including Innovagest2000, Innovative Marketing Ukraine, Pandora Software, LocusSoftware, etc.
AV Security Suite is a type of rogue security software, commonly categorized as scareware and malware, which masquerades as a legitimate virus scanner on the victim's Microsoft Windows system. While it is predominantly observed on Windows platforms, it may adopt alternative names on other operating systems to better integrate itself within their interfaces, thereby enhancing its deceptive nature. In the task manager, the program typically appears as a series of seemingly random characters followed by identifiers such as "tssd.exe" or "shdw.exe," a tactic aimed at complicating detection and removal efforts.
Internet Security Essentials, also InternetSecurityEssentials, is rogue security software pretending to protect the computer against malware and viruses. It is one of several clones belonging to the "FakeVimes" family of fake antivirus malware.
Winwebsec is a category of malware that targets the users of Windows operating systems and produces fake claims as genuine anti-malware software, then demands payment to provide fixes to fictitious problems.
ByteDefender also known as ByteDefender Security 2010 is a scareware rogue malware application on Windows that masquerades as a legitimate antivirus program. It uses a false system scanner that produces large deposits of malware and it attempts to scare the users to purchase the full version of the rogue software for the removal of nonexistent and/or unnecessary spyware items. The name of this antispyware program is used to confuse the user looking for the legitimate Bitdefender before downloading the software.
