Be afraid...
Software giant Microsoft produces a security intelligence report twice a year based on the data gathered from millions of Windows users worldwide. The latest report covers the second half of last year and reveals a growing threat from fake security software, otherwise known as ‘scareware'.
This is essentially malware masquerading as legitimate security software. It suckers users into clicking on a link by offering things like free virus scans. It may then even get them to pay for the privilege of having more malware installed on their PC.
Families of scareware, Win32/FakeXPA, Win32/FakeSecSen and Win32/Renos have moved scareware into Microsoft's top ten threats in the period covered.
"We continue to see an increase in the number of threats and complexity of those threats designed to implement crime at a variety of levels online," said Vinny Gullotto, GM of the Microsoft malware protection centre.
"But as Microsoft and the industry continue to improve the security of our products and people become more concerned about their online safety and privacy, we see cybercriminals increasingly going after vulnerabilities in human nature rather than software."
