Massive Profits Fueling Rogue Antivirus Market
March 21, 2009 by Shanmuga
Filed under Recommended Reads, Rogue Security Software
"One service that exemplifies a very easy way these bad guys can make this kind of money is TrafficConverter.biz, one of the leading "affiliate programs" that pays people to distribute relatively worthless security software. Affiliates are given a range of links and Javascript snippets they can use to embed the software in hacked and malicious Web sites, or tainted banner advertisements online.
Unsuspecting users who view one of these hacked sites or ads see a series misleading warnings saying their computers are infected with malware, and offering a free scan. Those who agree are prompted to download a program that conducts a bogus scan and warns of non-existent threats on the user’s system. The software also blocks the user from visiting legitimate security Web sites. The user is then pestered with increasingly deceptive and incessant prompts to purchase the software (see the screen shots above and below for some of the more subtle examples)." – Content courtesy of Massive Profits Fueling Rogue Antivirus Market – Security Fix
It’s only going to get worse. Recently one of the distributors of the notorious winfixer malware was fined only $150,000 by the FTC with no jail time. Until scumbags like James Reno receive significant jail time it will remain profitable for these criminals to pursue their criminal activities.