Scareware: the inside story

Scareware: the inside story

DARREL REES 38 | NewScientist | 27 March 2010 Scare raisers Jim Giles tracks down a massive online fraud that cashes in on our computer security fe...

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DARREL REES

38 | NewScientist | 27 March 2010

Scare raisers Jim Giles tracks down a massive online fraud that cashes in on our computer security fears

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HOW TO AVOID SCAREWARE ! Before buying security software, make

sure it comes from a well-known and trusted company. If in doubt, consult a tech-savvy friend. ! If a virus warning appears when you

are browsing the web, run a search on the company named in the scan. Many scareware companies are quickly identified this way.

unauthorised traffic between your computer and the internet, and will prevent scareware from installing itself without your knowledge. ! If you think nasties are already lurking

on your hard drive, use the free scans provided by reputable companies like McAfee, Symantec and Microsoft. ! Make sure you keep your security

! Make sure you have a firewall installed

and turned on. A firewall blocks

40 | NewScientist | 27 March 2010

software up to date once you have it installed.

Fake virus scans often look just like the real thing

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