Rogue Anti-Spyware 101… Attention Please!
Rogue anti-spyware, also known as fake anti-spyware, is a program that disguises itself as a legitimate anti-spyware program. Let me explain what I mean. It claims to search for and remove spyware or adware from your computer, same as any good anti-spyware program would. Here’s the difference: rogue antispyware is both the cure and the infection. It’s like a doctor that makes you ill in order to get you to pay him for a cure. In the case of rogue anti-spyware the infection gets worse after you buy. The cure is fake. It’s actually a new infection, a worse one.
How it Happens
Unsuspecting consumers often purchase rogue anti-spyware software when they encounter a pop-up window on the Internet informing them their PC has serious problems, such as a virus. This software will promise the computer owner a perfectly running PC once they purchase and download the rogue-antispyware program. This promise is of course completely false. (These pop-ups are not subtle – the computer screen will flicker and the browser window will be hard to close.)
Negative Effects
These Rogue anti-spyware programs will also activate a false test providing you with inaccurate information about your PC. They will tell you your computer is infected – even when it’s not – in order to entice you to act quickly on acquiring their program. Once you have installed the program, the software will become part of your computer significantly slowing down its performance. Programs will start running at drastically reduced speeds and you’ll notice an increase in pop-up windows. (This becomes an even more difficult problem when these windows open an additional set of windows that can’t be shut down.)
How to Combat It
There are many things you can do to ensure rogue anti-spyware doesn’t become installed on your computer. First, you should purchase and operate an anti-virus and/or antispyware program that is highly rated. Generally a good anti-spyware program is going to be more useful than an anti-virus program to get rid of and protect from rogue anti-spyware. This software will perform constant updates to ensure it has the latest virus definitions for the most effective results.
Another preventative measure is to refrain from clicking on or paying for anti-spyware links without properly researching them. A few Google searches should yield some good information for you. Also make sure your Internet browser eliminates “allow pop-up windows”. Stop the pop-ups before they can entice you into buying their malicious product. (If you visit websites that use pop-up windows you can always add them to a ‘trusted’ list so you can gain access to all the site’s functions.)
If you have become infected early detection is probably one of the best things you can do to ensure successful removal. The longer rogue-antispyware remains on your PC the harder in can be to remove. They are “smart” programs made to hide and firmly embed themselves in your computer. In extreme cases, given enough time on your computer, the malicious software will completely hijack your PC. You