A new wave of scareware hitting the net has nearly taken over the field. On February 8th and 9th the attack pumped out enough malware to end up accounting for over half the total malware distributed for the entire month. In other words, it’s huge. The malware is called Security Tool and is distributed via more »

Fake anti-virus software has been the scourge of the net for awhile now, but hackers are now taking it a step further and making it even more sinister. Panda Labs says that Total Security 2009 starts out like most fake anti-viruses. It “scans” the victim’s computer and tells them they’ve got a serious infection, then more »

There have been quite a few security issues in the news this past week. Let’s take a look at some of the top stories: Hackers wasted no time in exploiting the release of the much anticipated MMS functionality for the iPhone. AT&T finally made it available on Friday (September 25, 2009), and experts say that now that 6 out of the top 10 search results for search phrases involving the keywords iPhone and MMS are malicious, directing to sites that try to push fake anti-virus scareware.

Visitors to the New York Times website over the weekend got an unwelcome surprise in the form of malicious ads serving scareware. The ads instigated a browser hijack and redirect visitors to best-antivirus03.com, a rogue site serving up fake anti-virus software. The Times is aware of the issue and posted a note to warn its more »

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.

So called “Hit Man” spam is back. This type of spam attempts to extort people rather than sell them things or trick them into installing malware on their system. Basically, they get an email from someone claiming they have been hired to kill them but if they pay a certain amount the hit man will more »

This week let’s take a look at what’s happening in the news. It seems malware is everywhere!

Our first report comes from England where it’s been discovered that hundreds of government run websites have been hacked. Anyone visiting them is redirected to either a porn site or a shady pharmacy hawking discount Viagra. What’s particularly disturbing about the attacks is that many of the websites hit belong to elementary schools and are used regularly by students. That means children are being redirected to the porn and Viagra sites!

The U.K. government hasn’t made any comment on the attacks but experts say the sites were likely hit because of their high rankings in search results and were easily attacked because of poor programming and/or security.

Imagine being on your computer one day, minding your own business, surfing the web-and then suddenly finding yourself locked out of your own computer! A message pops up on your screen saying control will be returned to you-for a price. It might even tell you dire things will happen to your files if you don’t pay. Is it a joke? No. Unfortunately you’ve got ransomware.

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.

Microsoft has joined Washington state in a lawsuit against scammers who use “scareware” to sell useless and often malicious software. The vendors, who will not be identified until Monday, are being charged under the state’s Computer Spyware Act. So called “scareware” is the name given to those programs that advertise via ads made to look like warnings from Windows XP or Vista. They usually “warn” the viewer that they may have an urgent sounding (yet fake) computer issue and that their software is needed to fix it. Instead, the consumer either wastes money on a useless program or ends up with spyware or malware on their system.