Almost everyone has run across it and perhaps some of you have fallen for it – rogue anti-virus programs. Also known as scareware, these programs are infesting the net, and researchers say they net the scammers behind them a staggering $34 million a month. They work very simply, either a site redirect or a pop up informs the victim that they might be infected with malware, and then begins a fake “scan” of their computer, revealing a plethora of fake infections. The site then tells the now startled and probably worried victim that their software can take care of it for them for just $30. So the victim downloads a fake program, pays and watches as it “removes” the fake infections it found. The scammer just made $30 and the victim is relieved that the infections (which they never really had) are gone. It’s sort of a high tech version of a snake oil salesman.

This week’s column is all about the scourge of scareware. Most of us have seen it at one time or another as we surf the web. A pop up will suddenly appear with dire warnings that your system is infected or critical errors were found in your registry. Clicking on it brings up a site for a program that claims it can fix everything-for a fee. The price ranges from $29.95 to $50. Once you pay and download the program, sure enough it does a scan, finds the problems and fixes them all. What a relief, right? Not really. You never had any infections or errors at all. The only thing that got cleaned out was your wallet. A scammer just succeeded in scaring some cash from you.

That’s right. The whole concept of scareware is actually pretty simple. Just trick someone into thinking they have critical issues with their computer and need your program to fix it. It’s big business for cybercriminals.

Finjan, a well known web security firm, has released data regarding rogueware from its Malicious Code Research Center. According to the report, the firm was able to gather data about a rogueware affiliate network, where members make an astounding $10,800 per day. In order to get traffic, the criminals use SEO techniques. The sites employ more »