Nothing in life is free, including hostage situations. Especially if it involves a person’s personal computer.
Two types of fake antivirus software, known as “scareware” or “ransomware,” have been sneaking onto computers and potentially stealing money from people for the past couple of years. Though the Federal Trade Commission and police have tried to intervene, it still continues to plague unsuspecting PC users.
“Scareware,” a program that appears on someone’s computer, usually covertly, pretends to scan the PC for viruses and spyware and warns of fake security breaches. The program then claims it will erase the problems from the computer for a price. If the person pays, they face having their bank account or credit card charged for software that doesn’t work.
In a similar fashion, “Ransomware” will appear as a pop-up or taskbar icon but won’t allow users to access certain files or programs without paying for the bogus software.
“When it pops up, it looks like a real antivirus program. It will say ‘Click here to scan it.’ Once you start it, your computer’s going to get hosed,” Mike Townsend, assistant director of technology services for the city of St. Joseph, said.
It may be surprising to some, but the fake programs can just as easily be downloaded from reputable sites as they can from web pages that may be viewed as shady.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, the scam artists that run the program often purchase legitimate-looking ads at popular websites that redirect to a download of the software.
Even the city of St. Joseph, which users filters to stray away from potentially lethal sites, has been hit by the problem a few times.
“We’ve had that problem pop up a couple of times,” Mr. Townsend said. “We just bring it in, wipe (the hard drive) clean and give it back.”
Ridding the computer of the program can be a task for those not technologically inclined. Even those who are savvy with computers find starting over to be the better option.
“It’s a lose-lose situation,” Capt. Kevin Castle of the St. Joseph Police Department said. “Places like us that have an IT department that has back-ups of our stuff, they can wipe the computer and maybe restore the information. But for your home computer in that situation, you’re basically (out of luck).”
Mr. Townsend suggests computer owners keep up with security updates.
“You should always have your windows updated and your antivirus/antispyware software updated. But that stuff doesn’t catch everything,” he said.
The FTC suggests making it a practice to not click on pop-up ads. In the event the user is faced with what they think may be malicious software, they should close their entire browser, as clicking off the ad may still trigger a download.
Source:http://www.stjoenews.net/news/2010/apr/30/fake-software-continues-plague-computers/?local
