Windows Antivirus 2008: Scareware, Beware!

Windows Antivirus 2008: Scareware, Beware!

Author JoeDigital

If this screen pops up, close your browser IMMEDIATELY!

Microsoft and the Washington State, in pursuit of the 2005 Computer Spyware Act, have recently filed lawsuits companies that pretend to offer free downloadable anti-spyware applications.  There are many such scareware products, but the one shown above, Windows Vista AntiVirus 2008 is one of the worst, because it can literally take control of your computer.

So far, however, some of the culprits are yet to be identified, even if some of them have already been found.

Commonly known as “scareware”, this is an online scam where a window pops out informing the unwary online surfer that the computer is under the threat of viruses and spyware. The message usually sounds like: Warning! Your Computer is Vulnerable! Click here to be protected. What happens is that once clicked, the computer pretends to scan and find all sorts of viruses on your computer and then requiring the user to buy the full version of software in order to get rid of these problems. Such, obviously, is false.

Experts advise that when coming across these fake warnings, it is best to right click the window from the taskbar and close it manually because clicking on “cancel” or the “x” button of the window might initiate the download, which is usually where the chaos begins.

Vista Antivirus 2008 behaviour:

• Vista Antivirus 2008 may download and execute malware
• Vista Antivirus 2008 generates fake security warnings to scare users
• Vista Antivirus 2008 may slow your computer
• Vista Antivirus 2008 may redirect you to fake malware scanners and hijack your desktop

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