First of all - in the past few months or so there has been a surge in fake pop ups stating that the person’s Antivirus program is out of date and people are clicking on this and adding MORE viruses etc,….
Second - here is the latest Security Internet Alert from Homeland Security-
Fake Antivirus Software Circulating
added September 16, 2008 at 12:30 pm
US-CERT is aware of public reports indicating an increase in the instances of fake antivirus software circulating. These software applications are malicious code, not legitimate antivirus applications. These instances of malicious code are noted as being distributed through spam email messages containing malicious links, instant messages containing malicious links, private messages on social networking sites, infection from other malware, and from visiting compromised websites.
Quite often, this malware attempts to convince users that there is something wrong with their systems. This leads to an attempt persuade the users into purchasing an illegitimate antivirus application. If the user purchases the bogus software, the attacker may be able to obtain personal and credit card information for use in additional scams and fraudulent activity.
US-CERT encourages users to perform the following preventative measures to help mitigate the risks:
* Install legitimate antivirus software from a trusted vendor, and keep its virus signature files up-to-date.
* Do not follow unsolicited web links found in email messages or instant messages.
* Use caution when visiting untrusted websites.
* Do not install untrusted software.
I would like to know why there is so much advice to download free software in this section when there is clearly an issue in this area….a big issue.
It is recommended to ensure legitimacy. So what’s up?
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6 responses so far ↓
1 mdigitale // Sep 30, 2008
It all boils down to common sense.
I would also like to point out that users should not trust “trusted” software automatically either– its easy for malicious programs to embed themselves in such (especially pirated software).
Digital Signatures can help ensure the authenticity of a file from a trusted certificate authority, but even these can be forged.
Just use common sense.
2 stephen // Sep 30, 2008
It's probably because there are some free software out there that are entirely trustworthy, like AVG or Spybot Search and Destroy. While the effectiveness of these programs can be debated, people recommend them because they are free, safe, and effective (in their minds). While there are many, many bad rogue antivirus softwares and stuff out there, there are definitely those programs that are safe, and free, released by people or teams that aren't programming just for the money.
Stephen
PS: Reading the above answer, I realized I forgot an important part.
Where you get the free software is also very important, as what seems to be a 'trusted' program may turn out to have been modified. For example, Firefox is definitely, without a doubt, virus and spyware free. However, downloading Firefox off of anywhere that isn't trustworthy in itself is risky as someone may have inserted malware into it without you knowing.
3 charlie // Sep 30, 2008
when I advise or recommend an anti virus or anti spy ware I either am currently using it or have in the past for a particular problem as most people on this site do
4 rsmd49 // Sep 30, 2008
YES…. to everything mdigital said !!!
5 Tom B // Sep 30, 2008
All true and sound advise.
However, there are several good quality free products…ie Spybot Search and Destroy, Spyware Blaster, AdAware, and AVG Free antivirus.
One must take ANY advice given for free (as it is here) with a grain of salt. I only offer advice here….but if I were considering taking advice, I would check it out before acting on it…
6 noknojon // Sep 30, 2008
Yes - So you ask why so many say to download free programs - At $70 - $150 or so I can not afford a full version. AVG free will catch most tracking cookies and find trojan viruses on computers. Most free programs have at least some protection compared to No protection at all. Your other option is to visit a pro each time one of the Many “drive by” viruses hooks onto your system - Anything is better than nothing !!
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