Watch out for “Scareware” or “Malware”

Recently we have been warning clients about scams where fake anti-virus programs have been causing widespread problems. Some of these programs can get onto your computer by simply going to an infected website either directly, through a link, or via a link in an e-mail.

Computer Techs has begun referring to these programs as “Scareware” and “Malware”. We call it Scareware because the  pop-up or program “scares” you into believing that what it is telling you is true, and that you must react quickly to cure the perceived problem. For example a pop-up might inform you that you have registry errors, or hundreds of viruses and password-stealing trojans on your computer. Malicious software is referred to as Malware because it does malicious and damaging things to your computer without your knowledge or consent.

Anti-virus software companies are having a difficult time keeping up with the malware because the malware is constantly changing its patterns, and it’s a cat-and-mouse game of the anti-virus trying to keep up with the new viruses. We recommend reading the advise in our previous articles about what to do at the first sign of Scareware in order to help prevent it from automatically installing malware on your computer.

If you have signs of Scareware or Malware it is important to give us a call as soon as possible to keep any malware that may have been installed from automatically downloading more malware and possibly irreversibly damaging your computer.