Offenders Flock to Rogue Antivirus Apps
Chasing enormous profits, offenders have unleased a flood of rogue antivirus programs that attempt to trick or scare 
unsuspecting PC users into spending money for an app that does nothing at all.
According to the Antiphishing Working Group, the number of fake security programs increased dramatically from average of around 2,500 per month to 9,287 in December. The group’s latest report, covering the second half of 2008, says that while rogue AV has been around for years, it wasn’t until the middle of last year that crooks starting turning the fake apps into a serious money-making machine.
The Washington Post’s Security Fix recently showed that dirty affiliates who help spread the junk apps can earn more than $330 000 a month in commissions.
There are two ways you might end up with a scare-tactic pop-up or something similar on your PC that attempts to push you into paying for the fake software. The first, browser-based method isn’t dangerous if you’re smart enough to ignore the pop-up; but the second scenario can indicate a malware infection and is bad news.
