Keep your PC safe from scareware

Q After reading in the news about bogus anti-virus applications that are really bait to steal your credit card details rather than keep your PC secure, I’m unsure what software is genuine and what isn’t.

I keep seeing pop-ups when I visit certain websites, saying I have viruses on my computer and that I should download an application to remove them. Are these pop-up messages to be trusted?

David Fry

A No genuine security companies advertise their product by displaying pop-ups in a web browser saying that your PC is infected with malware. You should never click on these links or buy the software, which is also known as ‘scareware’, because the software finds viruses that don’t exist.

It’s better to rely on trusted brands, such as Kaspersky, Symantec (Norton), Eset, F-Secure, PC Tools, McAfee, AVG, Trend Micro, Panda and others. To add to the confusion, scareware applications will use names such as ‘Antivirus 2009’, or ‘Security 360’ that sound like well-known products from genuine companies. If you see a security product reviewed in Computeractive, you can be certain it’s genuine and safe to install. You can find a partial list of rogue security software here.

Some scareware is relatively harmless and does nothing malicious aside from failing to protect your computer. Others may contain a Trojan, or software that will log your keystrokes, to steal passwords that might be used to gain access to your PC or bank account. If you’ve purchased the software online, the organisation already has your credit card details. In this case you should get in touch with your bank immediately.

You can try removing scareware by uninstalling it through the Control Panel. In Windows XP, click on the Start menu, then click on Control Panel. Double-click on Add or Remove Programs, find the entry in the list, click on it to highlight it, then click Remove. In Windows Vista, click on the Start icon, then click on Control Panel. Click Control Panel Home in the top left, then under the programs header, click Uninstall A Program. Select the application from the list, then click Uninstall/Change. For Windows 7, click on the Start Menu, type Programs and Features and press Enter to see the software installed on the computer.

However, you shouldn’t assume the application has been removed, so use genuine security software to scan your computer for any malicious software. Most will treat fake anti-virus software as any other malware and remove it. One free tool you can use is AVG. Make sure the software is up to date, and then run a full scan on your PC.

You should also change the passwords you use to log in to your computer, your email and any shopping websites you regularly use. Shopping sites will have a link to your account settings, where you can change the password.

Depending on your ISP, you should be able to log in to your account to change your password. Your ISP should have sent documentation showing how to do this, but most will point you in the right direction with a telephone call. To change the password you use to log in to your computer, open Control Panel in the same way as before.

In Windows XP, click on User Accounts. Select the account name you use to log in to your PC then click on Change Password. In Windows Vista and 7 click on the User Accounts and Family Safety header, then in the next window, click on Change your Windows Password.

You should consider these recommendations as the minimum steps required to stay protected but since scareware is a relatively new security threat, some applications behave differently to others and require additional steps to remove. However, it’s important not to confuse genuine security software installed on your PC with scareware.

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