Scareware
There's a new type of attack going on lately in the world of computers. It's becoming more and more common, they are calling it rogue spyware or scareware.
I got hit with it recently, and it was very unsettling. These programs are put together by criminal gangs and they are making a lot of money with them. You will know it right away if you get infected, the programs do everything they can to cause panic, then tell you it will all go away if you send them your credit card info to purchase a bogus fix.
They pose as antivirus programs, Windows security, or MacIntosh security and tell you that your computer is infected with a bunch of malicious programs that will steal your personal info, etc. The giveaway is when they tell you it's necessary to register or purchase a program to fix everything.
Don't fall for it, the whole thing is a fraud. There is no malicious program, the only malware is the program that's trying to get you to contact their server and give them your credit card number. If you have any suspicion about a shady program that you can't close, kill your browser if you can. I use multiple tabs on Firefox when I browse the internet, so anything that looks wrong...I can just click on the x on the tab and get free.
If you can't shake the program, don't panic. Use another computer and google scareware. There is info that will help you clear the infection. Or you can take your computer to a pro, and let them get rid of it for you. This stuff is spreading all over the net, I saw another version of it last night on a website. There have been infections picked up from Facebook, Google, all sorts of legitimate websites.
I think we are especially vulnerable as ME/CFS people because we are prone to panic attacks. These programs are designed to cause panic, it's how they are making so much money.
I got hit with it recently, and it was very unsettling. These programs are put together by criminal gangs and they are making a lot of money with them. You will know it right away if you get infected, the programs do everything they can to cause panic, then tell you it will all go away if you send them your credit card info to purchase a bogus fix.
They pose as antivirus programs, Windows security, or MacIntosh security and tell you that your computer is infected with a bunch of malicious programs that will steal your personal info, etc. The giveaway is when they tell you it's necessary to register or purchase a program to fix everything.
Don't fall for it, the whole thing is a fraud. There is no malicious program, the only malware is the program that's trying to get you to contact their server and give them your credit card number. If you have any suspicion about a shady program that you can't close, kill your browser if you can. I use multiple tabs on Firefox when I browse the internet, so anything that looks wrong...I can just click on the x on the tab and get free.
If you can't shake the program, don't panic. Use another computer and google scareware. There is info that will help you clear the infection. Or you can take your computer to a pro, and let them get rid of it for you. This stuff is spreading all over the net, I saw another version of it last night on a website. There have been infections picked up from Facebook, Google, all sorts of legitimate websites.
I think we are especially vulnerable as ME/CFS people because we are prone to panic attacks. These programs are designed to cause panic, it's how they are making so much money.
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