Fake Anti-Virus Hackers Making $300/day

by stephen on Feb.10, 2010, under news, security

As we talked about last week, we are seeing a lot of fake anti-virus pop-ups as well as software. Sophos recently published an article spilling the beans on some of these “businesses”. Yes, businesses. Hackers are in the business to make money. It’s no longer about notoriety and fame, but about making money, from your money.

Scareware (aka “rogue software”, aka FakeAlert, aka FakeAV) has been a growing trend in the recent months. This lucrative “business” generates multi-million dollar revenues today and shows no signs of slowing down.

The number of visits, “conversions” (people who installed the software) and the $$ made on the traffic. An average for $300 USD per day? Not too bad, considering that it’s likely one of many affiliate networks this individual directs his traffic to.
More at http://www.sophos.com/blogs/sophoslabs/v/post/2047

Here are some screenshots of these pop-ups and windows that you might see. Again make sure your anti-virus solution is up-to-date and if you need one, check out Microsoft Security Essentials, it’s FREE. We also created an article to help you clean your computer quickly from spyware, adware, and virus.