They Come In All Kinds of Disguises

Internet scammers are becoming more cunning than ever. They are employing every trick in their inventory in an effort to try and get you to give up your most valuable information. When their arsenal of scams is exhausted they come up with even more scams to try and reel you in. The only limit is the attacker’s imagination.

There are probably few that have not been a victim to the infamous "scareware".  Scareware is fake and malicious software that pops up on your computer usually while browsing the internet and appears in the form of an antivirus application. It is designed to trick a victim into downloading malware to his or her computer or into entering his or her credit card information. The Internet scam appears to be effective because McAfee.com reports that scareware's success rate is continuing to grow.

Attackers have recently taken scareware to another level. In the past scareware often would popup in a format that did not resemble a victim’s operating system. Now, to increase their success, attackers are using scareware that will bring up a graphic user interface that matches a victim’s current operating system. When contracted the malware blocks the victim from running .exe files and from starting security software to remove it. In the end, many victims become worried and end up giving in to the demands presented by the malicious software.

Have no fear. There are measures you can implement and practice that will help in preventing you from becoming a victim to scareware:

1. Ensure you are running a firewall
2. Keep antivirus software updated
3. Keep your operating system updated with the latest patches
4. Watch out for drive-by downloads while browsing new websites
5. Turn on popup blockers
6. Be vigilant

http://blogs.mcafee.com/mcafee-labs/multiplatform-fake-av-uses-different-guis

http://blogs.mcafee.com/security-connected/happy-halloween-defense-against-scareware-and-ransomware