Scareware - what is it?

"Scareware" is a term that has become very popular of late. The spreading of this class of malware shows more and more tendency to increasing and slowly takes the form of epidemy. So, what do we mean by saying "scareware"?

Scareware is a type of malware aimed at cheating the users and making them download and install useless (at the best) or dangerous software. The software takes its name from its essence, as the majority of developers try to scare the surfers and lure them into downloading their software by threats like notifying about the non-existent danger of computer vulnerability or viruses. After that the virus suggests buying and installing a software that is seemingly indispensible for eliminating the supposed dangers. The programs falling under the class of Scareware are recognizable for their tendency to pass themselves as anti-adware and anti-spyware software, registry cleansers, etc. Some of such programs, or else when a user refuses to pay for the software, the Scareware software can indeed download certain harmful programs to the computer.

Thus, in 2008, after Microsoft Company has been over the unstoppable complaints of the users about the weak spots, errors and the drawbacks in Windows system, there was a lawsuit started against two Texas companies. One of these companies is the developer of the so called "Registry Cleaner XP", the software of a doubtable quality promoting itself by way of notifying the user about non-existent errors in the system. Apart from these suits, Microsoft suited other five companies known to have developed false software products (which are still unknown to the public, if truth be told). Those companies are: Antivirus 2009, Malwarecore, WinDefender, WinSpywareProtect и XPDefender

There surfaced another similar case not so long ago. In the USA there was stopped the activity of a large group of fraudsters that managed to sell fake anti-virus software to more then 1,000,000 of users. Starting from 2004 the fraudsters organized an expansive marketing campaign aimed at promoting their products: WinFixer, WinAntivirus, DriveCleaner and ErrorSafe. The campaign consisted in bannering the users with false notifications of their computers being infected with malware or containing illegal pornography files. The users were then advised to buy and download the specially developed software which in fact did not possess any useful features. During the time of their activity the fraudsters managed to earn $40,000,000 selling their fake products.

The workers of the Western companies monitoring the safety of surfing register more and more applications from the users connected with non-existent dangers. “Why don’t people just learn the few simple safety rules we’ve been talking about for so many years?” – says a representatives of one of such companies. “It is so easy! Just follow three rules: install firewall and antivirus on your computer, and do not forget to receive regular updates of these software products via Internet. Maybe, people are trying to save money by buying this software?”. However, this problem can hardly be considered a matter of money. It is rather laziness and ignorance of the surfers in the matters of safe networking. For the method the Scareware developers use to promote their products is nothing but the everlasting social engineering.