I work for an Office Products retailer in the technology department, we offer services on customer computers to optimise, protect and diagnose software and operating system issues. The one thing I see on the diagnose end of the services is people falling for all the social engineering tricks on the internet which leads to them being infected with Rogue Security Applications.
Rogue Security Applications are malware applications that purport to be or disguise themselves as legitimate anti-virus and/or antispyware programs. They have the pretty eye candy filled graphical interfaces the real ones do, they maintain an icon in the system tray and they make it look like they are scanning for and finding REAL infections. They launch at boot time, are all in your face and they demand you register the product in order to clean up your system of all those infections it said that it found. You will find that your internet connectivity is often hampered if not non-existent, your legitimate security software has been disabled, attempts to remove the rogue app are futile in the average persons experience level.
I suppose I could elaborate even deeper on how these rogue applications can ruin your computing experience, but lets just say it is messy. These apps are known to even download more malware and spyware.
While most of the time, no data is destroyed, getting at it is a challenge and depending on how extensive the removal process is, you could end up losing the data. Ill fated attempts at removal often exacerbate or multiply the infection, often leading to one out of frustration having to resort to a destructive full system recovery.
Having seen a number of customers come in with these infections, it is a testament to the fact that some people have no business operating, much less owning a computer.
While it is true that some Rogue Applications can infiltrate a computer through an exploited hole in the operating system, the majority of these infections come in by the operator letting them in. (Remember the Trojans with the Greek Horse?)
The one thing to remember is that having real security applications on your PC is the same thing as having the strongest locks, deadbolts and other devices protecting your home. Neither can protect you if you don’t use them, use them correctly or willingly admit the harm.
More often than not someone was surfing the internet for something they shouldn’t have been looking for, oh like lets says porn or pirated files, or they stumbled across a compromised web site and saw a pop-up that said that their computer was infected with this, that or the other thing and to Click OK for a free scan and fix. OOPS! No means YES to these people and your snagged even if you said NO or tried to dismiss the pop-up with the X. No web site is going to know the health of your PC, don’t fall for this! Hit a web site and get one of these, kill the browser process in task manager or shut off your PC.
Many Rogue Security Applications call themselves what amount to be variations of or a play on the names of real legitimate applications, one example is Anti-virus 360 (Rogue) which is a play on Norton 360 (Real). But there are well over 450 types of Rogue Security Applications out in the wild set to trick the naive into installing them, letting them in or otherwise.
There are people out there whom drive cars and the only thing they know is, how to start the engine and drive, with no clue as to how the car works and how and why its components do their thing. The same could be said for those with computers, many only know how to point and click and make no attempt to learn anything beyond that, consequences be damned.
We Can:
- Curse Microsoft for making Operating Systems that are vulnerable to attack, but the truth is, no one there can predict every angle one will use to attack an OS with. Our defence industries design the best armor, our enemies then design better missiles which weren’t there when the armor was designed.
- Curse the authors of rogue applications, viruses and trojans, and we should, but they are just like bank robbers and shoplifters, they aren’t going to go away.
- Bemoan the millions of dollars the real security software industry has made off of us.
But, the real bemoaning should be done by and towards us the users, those of us whom cannot find the will to take responsibility for themselves, ultimately suffer the consequences. If you don’t lock your doors at night, it is not the fault of the maker of the deadbolt lock, if someone can open the door.
In the computing world, it pays to be wise and not gullible.
Incoming Links (via Tecnorati):
- Samsung's Galaxy S III Already Gets 9 Million Pre-Orders
Galaxy S III Breaking Its Record For Most Pre-Order Sales - Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg Gets Married
Mark Zuckerberg Weds The Day After Facebook's Much-Celebrated IPO - Over 700k Preserved Insects on Display at Arizona State University
Over 700k Preserved Insects on Display at Arizona State University - National Program Looks to Survey the Impact of the Emerald Ash Borer
National program looks to study the impact of the emerald ash borer - Strong Little Buggers
Researchers find that insects have very strong legs