Sophos

29 December 2007 17:43 GMT

If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It

For some considerable period of time now there have been applications flying around the internet, popping up here and there (quite literally), which claim there are viruses or other serious issues on your computer which you simply must fix:

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Of course, the friendly application is there to help you. You just need to register the product, paying good money, to rectify the phantom issues on your computer:

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Some of the applications detect the very files they drop when installing. The plot thickens!

This intentional deception to effectively scam the public out of their hard earned cash warrants censure and makes these applications borderline malware.

So next time you see a pop-up offering to scan your computer for viruses, beware! You will most likely install undesirable software. Just close the pop-up and keep browsing, especially if you’re behind a WS1000.

SKM, SophosLabs UK