Fake anti-virus software on the rise

Rogue security software attacks, which lure people into buying fake anti-virus protection, are on the rise, according to Microsoft.

The company’s findings have been supported by software security companies who say this problem has "grown enormously" over the past year.

In its Sixth Security Intelligence report, Microsoft said hackers are playing on people’s fears of viruses to sell them fake anti-virus software. However, these offer no protection at all.

Vinny Gullotto, general manager of the Microsoft Malware Protection Center, said: "As Microsoft and the industry continue to improve the security of our products and people become more concerned about their online safety and privacy, we see cybercriminals increasingly going after vulnerabilities in human nature rather than software."

The report, which is released twice a year, uses data gathered from millions of computers globally to provide a list of new and emerging computer threats. It found 1.5 million computer users had fallen victim to such a scam.

In addition, Win32/Renos, a threat that is used to deliver rogue security software, was detected on 4.4 million computers.

Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer at F-Secure said: "With recent publicity for threats such as the Conficker virus there has been an enormous rise in rogue security programs marketed using pop-ups."

He said these pop-ups were found on genuine websites, which had been hacked into, or through an infected PC. Once a user clicks on this they will be taken to a website and asked for their card details. He said the average charge for this was around £50.

According to Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos, hackers also use spam masquerading as emails from Microsoft that ask people to click on a link to update their software.

"A genuine anti-virus company would never market its products using pop-ups or email. People must be vigilant against these scams as not only could they lose their money but also have their credit card details stolen," he said.

Both companies advised people to be "cynical" when they see adverts for this software. They said people who were unsure of a company should google it to find out more.

"If you are worried that you’re PC is infected then visit a legitimate anti-virus software provider where you will be able to find PC clean-up software free," Mr Cluely added.