Taking action to remove a threat is a sensible thing to do. However, being scared into acting unnecessarily is another matter, especially if it means costing you or your business money. One online threat called scareware is designed to do just that.
What is Scareware?
Scareware is a type of malicious software that will attempt to scare a user into spending money to protect their PC. Social engineering tactics are often used to get the user to initially download it. Then it will try to make the user believe there is a threat to their system. Any virus threat the user is tricked into thinking is real is usually a fake and the paid solutions are often useless.
Once the user enters their information in the so-called solution product’s site, the cyber criminals backing the site then have access to their credit card. So the user ends up with a useless software package which is often malware, and a stolen identity.
Also, scareware can “zombie” a computer, meaning the user’s files can be accessed and manipulated, and fake emails can be sent using their email address.
Year over year, scareware packages have been increasing since the mid-2000s. Today, this threat is omnipresent and any system not protected can receive faulty virus threat notices.
Scareware is hugely profitable for scammers to use, and just one successful prank can net them up to $100 or more. So, it is up to users to learn how to avoid a scareware alert.
Read our complete Max Secure Anti Virus Plus Review here about it can protect you from scareware.
Are There Some Specific Scareware Products to Avoid?
The following are scareware products that you should be watching out for:
- SpySheriff
- XP Antivirus 2009
- AdwarePunisher
There are other scareware products out there as well, so it is best to download only reputable software from trusted sites.
Will Max Secure Anti Virus Plus Stop Scareware?
Some anti-malware programs will protect against scareware, and Max Secure Anti Virus Plus is one of them.
This program may recognize a scareware threat as malware, and take actions to block it or remove it. It can also protect against ransomware whose affects are similar to scareware. These programs require a ransom payment in exchange for unblocking a user’s information on their system.
To Recap…
Max Secure Anti Virus Plus does not protect against scareware explicitly. However, scareware may be recognized indirectly by Max Secure Anti Virus Plus as another form of malware and stopped. However, it may be best for users to use another program to prevent scareware from having any affect on them or their PC’s.
< Back to Max Secure Anti Virus Plus Review | NEXT: Does Max Secure Max Secure make a spyware detector? >
