3 types of computer users, and how they are affected by Rouge AV programs.
Reprint from Larry Jaffe, Editor SunbeltSecurityNews
Eyes Only Your Viewpoint on Security Issues
Gullible Is as Gullible Does
I have been fixing computers now, for 37 years, and I have found that, in general there are 3 types of computer users:
- Those who are scared stiff of them.
- Those who are ambivalent.
- Those who think they know everything.
All three types are gullible, in their own way.
- They rarely go on the internet for fear of everything, including the computer itself, so they rarely come up against malware, so are gullible in that respect, because they never do anything, for fear.
- These people just don’t care, so are gullible in that sense; they just ‘click’ without thinking.
- Now these are the ones I find the most gullible, they know so much about computers that nothing could catch them out, until it does! Then they scream so loudly that the poor Tech’ can hardly hear himself think.
But heh! Let’s face it; there are some extremely clever people out there, who will use any means to turn a buck! Your average ‘man in the street’ is very astute if he can spot every scam that is perpetrated. But if we all think of the old adage: If a deal seems too good to be true, however inviting, it probably is! I thing many would be much less gullible. Regards and keep up the sterling work. – DG
I Fell Victim
I actually am guilty of this. I am the IT guy for a non-profit animal shelter. I received an email advising me that the credit card for my ISP was expiring. As I knew that that was the case, I clicked the link and entered my updated information. Fortunately, moments after I hit send, I realized how stupid this was. I quickly called my ISP and confirmed that the email was not from them and then cancelled my credit card. I was lucky to have recognized my own carelessness in such short order, but it did give me an appreciation for why these types of attacks do sometimes work. – ED
Falling Prey to Malicious Software
Why? It’s more than people not paying attention to what baddies show up on their doorstep. Sure, some people just simply do not take the steps necessary to protect themselves, either by not using malware-blocking software or by using blocking software that is poorly designed. Many other cases are that malware morphs so quickly that is next to impossible to not get dinged by malware. We will always have the idiot malware creators in our midst that are so completely lacking in care for the world around them that they have nothing better to do than to create malware that can run amok everywhere. – GG
Fraudulent UPS emails
This week I have received 3 fake emails (so far) from UPS, all have some sort of an attachment with them. I presume it is a virus or some type of hacking tool. I forwarded them all to fraud@ups.com.
In your letter about “Gullible’s Travels”, in this instance to a novice UPS shipper, this may seem like a legit UPS shipping notification. There is no UPS “Logo” though, and no Images. The fake emails say “United Parcel Service”, whereas the Real emails say “UPS”, and Never “United Parcel Service”. But again to the novice, this is pretty sneaky. I haven’t ordered anything recently, and I smelled a rat as soon as I saw “United Parcel Service”. Several times a day, I get the fake emails about “….$10 million dollars is held in some bank, and they’ll give (me) half if I give them my bank account number” Yeah – Right. But I’m getting very tired of this too. This UPS scam must be a new thing out there. And I’m sure plenty of people will open the files attached. Too bad for us good guys. Thanks for listening! – NR
Stunned by Piggyback
I was stunned today, when I permitted an update from Adobe to my Adobe Reader, to see the “All done installing” notice – telling me Adobe had ALSO installed a copy of McAfee on my pc! There was no choice offered – Adobe just did it. And I’m pretty pissed. I’m sitting on hold right now waiting to talk to a “rep” at Adobe about this. I used their “callback” feature to get a rep on the phone… Filled out the online form and my phone rang… It’s been 15 minutes on hold already…There are few companies I trust when I permit updates… I have my Win7 set to notify me of updates, but not to download them until I check the notice. With Adobe, I consider it routine and don’t watch very carefully… but I swear there was no notice that said the update included McAfee…This really sucks. I urge you to notify your customers about this. In a word, it’s a scam. – NC Editor’s Note: We surely understand and have been railing about this practice for years. Enforced piggyback with obscure opt ins are tough to find. Believe it or not they do give you an opt in notice but it is before you even start the Reader download – very hidden away.
Operations: What You Need To Know
Rogue Security Programs – Defined
A Rogue Security Program is software that appears to scan and detect malware or other problems on the computer, but then attempts to dupe or badger users into purchasing the program by presenting the user with intrusive, deceptive warnings and/or false, misleading scan results. Rogue Security Programs typically use aggressive, deceptive advertising and may be installed without adequate notice and consent, often through exploits. Some programs hold your computer hostage until you pay; others can embed other malicious miscreants in your computer. Avoid them at all costs; do not fall for their pitch.
Close Encounters of a Rogue Kind
Should you encounter a Rogue Security Program there are a couple of things you can do. Obviously, it depends on if the machine is actually infected, or if they just get a dialog box from their browser stating they are infected.
There are two scenarios:
- The user sees a window that is rendered in their browser, which wants them to install the rogue.
- The user has already installed the rogue and needs to remove it from their machine.
In the first case, yes, the user should shut down the browser by pressing ALT F4 several times; you can get out of that loop. They should not be infected.
In the second case, they would follow the following steps:
- Reboot into Safe Mode
- Run a Deep Scan with VIPRE
If the rogue still persists, perform a Full Scan with MalwareBytes. Incidentally, MalwareBytes provides you with an extra layer of protection. Download the free version and do a manual scan regularly. It is an excellent safety precaution.
http://www.sunbeltsecuritynews.com/77N8F2/110330-Malware-Bytes
Bottom-line folks: do not fall for their pitch. A legit security company would not act this way or assault you in this fashion. Of course make sure your security program is up -to-date and fully enabled.
Free Malware Removal
Malicious software is tricky and sometimes, these critters get through all your layers of protection. However, did you know that we will remove malware that has gotten into your computer for free? All you need is a valid subscription to VIPRE and our team of malware removal specialists will get the bad guys out. Our team will assist any customer that becomes infected while under VIPRE’s protection. Just go online and fill out the support form and a member of our Malware Removal Team will get back to you right away. You don’t have to pay for this incredible service.
http://www.sunbeltsecuritynews.com/77N8F2/110330-Free-Malware-Removal
Also read our white paper on “How do I get help removing this infection?”
http://www.sunbeltsecuritynews.com/77N8F2/110330-Removal-PDF
Free Support
Like our Malware Removal Team above our Support Team is also at your service. You don’t have to call in or send emails or wait in line, just fill out our support page and you will automatically create a support “case”. So should you be experiencing technical issues with your GFI product please feel free to fill out a support request and a technician will be happy to assist you.
http://www.sunbeltsecuritynews.com/77N8F2/110330-Support-Form
Please note that is you are not able to solve your virus issues with Vipre and the support staff at SunBelt (GFI) we are here to assist you at www.end2endsupport.com.
To purchase Vipre from E2 Computrers either visit us at our store in Tarpon Springs or click on the link to www.gotavirusbug.com.
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