Web criminals fuel big rise in “trojans” – Yahoo! News

LONDON (Reuters) – Cyber-criminals are behind a dramatic rise in stealthy programs called “trojans” that infect computers to sell rogue software, send unwanted email or steal personal data, a study has found.

If you’re reading this blog, it’s very important that you read and understand this article.
I’ve personally seen exactly what is being discussed here. In just the last few weeks, I’ve had several computers come in to have rogue anti-spyware removed. Worse than that, one person (that I know of) actually purchased such software in a vain attempt to rid their PC of one of these malicious programs.

The reason behind this rise in infections is that more and more computers are equipped with software that detects malicious programs, the criminals see these programs as an easy way in. Instead of hiding their trojans and letting them run behind the scenes, they bring them into plain sight, disguised as anti-spyware programs.
Once infected, the computer will constantly issue the user authentic looking, warnings that spy-ware has been found, eventually prompting them to “click here” to fix the problem. Clicking the warning will take the user to a web site, where they are assured that if they download, purchase and install a program, they will be able to rid the computer of the infection. In all actuality you are simply adding fuel to the fire and opening yourself up to credit card fraud.

It’s genius really, spyware disguised as anti-spyware that scares you into purchasing and installing yet more spyware…

The moral of the story: In this day and age, more than ever, computer users must learn and understand what legit security software they have and how to use it. Knowledge is the only way to protect yourself.

Resources:

Top 10 rogue anti-spyware. ZDNet Blogs

List of Rogue/Suspect anti-spyware products and web site. Spyware Warrior

The best resource: Google! If you think you’ve been infected, search the name of the program you’re being asked in install, you’ll likely find out right away whether it’s legit or not.

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