Scareware might not rank high in most consumer’s minds when it comes to security threats, but McAfee is sounding an alarm about the phony antivirus programs.
Datamation details a McAfee Labs report that shows how cyber crooks are exploiting scareware to victimize as many as a million people every day.
Security software vendor McAfee this week launched its new Consumer Threat Alert program, a blog and e-mail subscription service dedicated to keeping consumers up to date on the latest malware and online scams circulating throughout cyberspace.
The program’s initial advisory was a primer on scareware, also known as rogue software or fake antivirus software, which preys on users’ naiveté and their instinctive response to what appears to be a legitimate security shortcoming with their PCs or mobile devices.
McAfee Labs claims that cyber crooks ripped off consumers to the tune of more than $300 million last year, using misleading pop-up and banner ads or free downloads and e-mail attachments laden with malware to swindle nervous Internet surfers out of $49.99 at a pop.