Fake antivirus tools infecting tens of millions each month

Posted on Thursday, July 30 2009 @ 4:00 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
PandaLabs claims malware posing as antivirus software is infecting tens of millions of computers each month. The security firm estimates about three percent of the people who see the fake virus warnings fall for it, and fork over $50 for an annual license or $80 for a lifetime license.
PandaLabs found 1,000 samples of fake antivirus software in the first quarter of 2008. In a year, that number had grown to 111,000. And in the second quarter of 2009, it reached 374,000, Luis Corrons, technical director of PandaLabs said in a recent interview.

"We've created a specific team to deal with this," he said, of the rogue antivirus software that issues false warnings of infections in order to get people to pay for software they don't need. The programs also typically download a Trojan or other malware.


About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



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