Computer viruses are a major problem. If you have ever been hit with a computer virus you will know how frustrating it can be. Your whole system can become unworkable. If you get one of those viruses that take over your desktop and bombards you with pop up messages saying you have a virus it can become impossible to do anything.
The problem is this problem is not going away but getting worse. Researchers at Google have released a report called The Nocebo Effect on the Web found a large increase in cases where users are tricked into purchasing fake antivirus software. This kind of malware now accounts for 15% of all online malware and 50% of malware delivered by advertising, commonly referred to as malvertising. This is a five time increase on last year.
In the report Google recommend use of virus and malware detection to prevent being attacked by this kind of virus. If your computer is not protected read up on some antivirus reviews to ensure you get a software product that will protect you.
The problem with this fake antivirus software is often after paying the fee to get rid of the incredibly annoying pop up messages you are actually installing additional malware onto your system which is used to monitor your web activity and steal your personal information.
Fake antivirus software scams have been around since 2003. Over the years this virus software has become more sophisticated using javascript to mimic the exact look and feel of the windows operating system.
Fake antivirus software distributors maximise their reach by posting ads to sites which lead to fake antivirus distribution sites and they also use black hat seo to optimise these distribution sites for trending keywords.
Fake antivirus software can be quite lucrative for cyber criminals and easy to set up. This is why the number of domains detected by Google hosting fake antivirus software went from 93 in January 2009 to 587 in January 2010.
To protect yourself from fake antivirus software always make sure you have the latest antivirus software on your system and refrain from clicking on adverts which appear suspicious. If you are prompted to download antivirus software you can always check the authenticity of the software by looking at antivirus reviews this way you will ensure you are not scammed.
Antivirus BUYability provides advice, information and antivirus reviews helping you to protect your computer and keep safe online.
Article from articlesbase.com
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