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What is it?
It's malware that emulates genuine Microsoft or
anti-virus alerts. It usually arrives in the form
of a pop-up warning or a scanner telling you that
your computer is infected and installs itself
onto your system. Once installed it disables
machine functionality.
This type of malware uses Windows logos and similar
graphics, so it's easy to mistake it as a legitimate
warning.
Anti-virus 2010 has been around for years and
is also known as AntiVirus 2008, AntiVirus 2009,
PC Security, XP Antivirus, and AntiVirus 2010
among other names. Newer versions of this spyware
are sophisticated and often take on a different
form with each infection, so that each infection
requires special attention and it is impossible
for just one tool or method to clean it. Once
a machine is infected it is very difficult to
get rid of.
How Do You Get It?
The simple answer is the internet, usually by
browsing to different websites via google or another
search engine.
When browsing, it's always a good idea to be
wary of clicking on links to sites you are not
familiar with. However, sometimes even legitimate
sites can be affected. A site's advertisements
may be hijacked, or the link to the site itself
can be compromised so that a user may be unwittingly
redirected to a false link and receive the fake
alerts or pop-ups.
Sites that register higher in search rankings
are often popular targets for this sort of attack,
and often there is nothing that the end user did
or can do to prevent this.
How Does It Work?
These fake alerts are coded so that when you click
on them to close (for example even clicking "Cancel"
or the "x" in the upper right corner
of the screen), it actually installs additional
malware on your computer. The malware will disrupt
your ability to browse the internet as mentioned
above, and also can install code that corrupts
the local Group Policy on your computer making
it unable to do certain tasks. It also corrupts
the registry and disables any existing anti-virus
software.
Why doesn't my Anti-Virus
catch this program?
Malware has come a long way in terms of sophistication.
Anti-virus and anti-spyware companies are charged
with keeping up with these methods, which is why
it is extremely important to perform regular scans
and keep your definitions up-to-date.
This particular spyware relies on the end user,
and often times the user doesn't realize what
they've done until it's too late. Once this malware
gets installed, it effectively disables any existing
security settings on the computer. Currently there
is not one tool that is 100% effective in preventing
and removing this malware.
This malware can be dangerous for more many reasons.
Like many online scams, Antivirus 2010 aims to
collect personal and financial information from
end users. Since these fake alerts appear genuine
many people unknowingly mistake them as legitimate
and click on them, or worse yet enter their credit
card information when asked to do so.
What Should I do if this
Happens to Me?
DO NOT click anywhere on it! The best way
to get rid of these fake alerts is through Task
Manager. To do this, right-click on an empty space
somewhere on the task bar, then select the Task
Manager.
In the Task Manager window the alert will be
displayed, click on the alert so that it is highlighted
and choose "End Task". This should remove
the pop-up from the screen.
It is usually a good idea to run an anti-virus
or anti-spyware scan on your system after receiving
this or other suspicious pop-ups in order to make
sure that your workstation is clean.
If you get a pop-up or alert and you aren't sure
if it is legitimate, the best thing to do is ask,
as it is very easy to mistake a legitimate alert
for spyware and vice versa.
How do I know if I'm
Infected?
An infected machine will usually get multiple
pop-ups, sometimes in the form of security alerts
telling you that you've been infected, pretending
to scan your computer, or other advertisements.
Sometimes spyware changes your background or other
visual settings, disables your anti-virus, and
may disable your Internet and network connection.
It also may slow your system down and disrupt
your other programs.
If you think your system has been compromised
please call us at 877-227-2440.
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