Experts at SophosLabs™, Sophos's global
network of virus and spam analysis centers, have welcomed the news
that a man has been fined almost $84,000 for marketing a bogus
anti-spyware program, but have warned web surfers that there are
many other fake protection products being unethically promoted on
the internet.
Zhijian Chen of Portland, Oregon, was found to have made
thousands of dollars by sending spam messages that fooled people
into believing that their computers were infected by spyware, and
claiming that a product called "Spyware Cleaner" was the cure.
A law suit filed by Washington state's Attorney General revealed
that "Spyware Cleaner" falsely claims that computers are infected
in an attempt to encourage PC users to pay $49.95 for a
fully-working version. According to court documents, Chen sent out
emails and advertisments promoting the "Spyware Cleaner" software
in exchange for a 75% commission on each $49.95 sale. A number of
other people are also facing charges of spamming and using
nefarious and deceptive marketing practices to promote the
software.
The Spyware Cleaner website.
"Many computer users live in fear of spyware and viruses, and if
they receive a legitimate-looking warning message they could easily
follow the advice to purchase clean-up software," said Graham Cluley, senior
technology consultant for Sophos. "Displaying a bogus detection
message on an innocent person's computer, with the intention of
selling software, is simply despicable. Let this be a warning that
the authorities are prepared to investigate and punish those who
engage in this kind of criminal activity."
Sophos experts warn that "Spyware Cleaner" is not the only bogus
anti-spyware application promoted on the internet.
"Several criminal gangs are in the business of persuading people
to download software by misrepresenting that a program is necessary
to protect a computer's security or privacy," continued Cluley.
"Internet users need to take great care about which programs they
choose to run, and be aware that some 'solutions' will actually
claim that their PC has a problem when it has none."
Sophos recommends companies protect their email with a consolidated solution to thwart the virus, spyware
and spam threats as well as secure their desktop and servers with
automatically updated anti-virus protection.
More than 100 million users in 150 countries rely on Sophos as the best protection against complex threats and data loss. Sophos is committed to providing security and data protection solutions that are simple to manage, deploy and use and that deliver the industry's lowest total cost of ownership. Sophos offers award-winning encryption, endpoint security, web, email, and network access control solutions backed by SophosLabs - a global network of threat intelligence centers. With more than two decades of experience, Sophos is regarded as a leader in security and data protection by top analyst firms and has received many industry awards.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.