Kaspersky Warns of Increasing Fake Antivirus

According to the security company 'Kaspersky,' the problem of rogue antivirus is reaching ever-new heights. This is evident from the company's recent article, "Rogue antivirus: a growing problem."

In recent years, rogue antivirus software has strikingly increased in number. These software are described as fake security programs which lie to users that their computer has been found infected with malware. The objective of giving scary warning to the users is to make them purchase a so-called effective 'antivirus' solution.

Naturally, the sale earnings land up in cyber criminals' hands, security experts say.

According to the experts, such programs help Internet crooks to churn illicit monetary gains via deceptive techniques, while end-users feel an artificial sense of safety because they have in their mind that the AV solutions are protecting their computers.

Programs of this kind, according to Kaspersky Lab, are classified as Fraud Tool in the RiskWare category. Presently, databases of Kaspersky consist of approximately 30,000 signatures in connection with rogue AV software, while this number seems to be rising.

Vyacheslav Zakorzhevsky, author of the article and Kaspersky's senior malicious software analyst, states that the increasing use of rogue AV programs by cyber criminals demonstrates the immense 'profit worth' of this business, as reported by Security Flash of Donna on November 16, 2009.

Zakorzhevsky further says that the criminals' scare tactics raises the success possibility associated with rogue AVs. Thus, end-users must load an authentic antivirus program so that they can be assured of a dependable protection on their systems and of their money not getting wasted, said Zakorzhevsky.

Symantec, another security company, states that it has been observed that some vendors of rogue AVs, trading free third parties security software copies after re-branding them with their own labels. Once again, this is deceptive as although consumers technically acquire the AV programs, they actually spend money for something that's free. Symantec warns, this year's massive increase in fake AV programs might reach a saturation level.

Moreover, specialists are alerting everybody of fraudulent antivirus vendors who might become increasingly malicious and aggressive via the use of 'ransomware' i.e. software which encrypts files but unlocks them only in exchange of cash demanded.

Related article: Kaspersky Released malware Statistics for September 2008

» SPAMfighter News - 11/26/2009