Fakeware is the trend.

Software, which sails under a false flag, is the trend of bad business with malicious software. This is a recent study shows that Microsoft is now presented. It shows persistence of major problems with IT security - but also that we have the model boy of the PC world.

 

Unterschleißheim - Online criminals are increasingly trying, computer users with fake security programs to deceive. The number of attacks with the corresponding software is growing significantly, resulted in an international study, which Microsoft released on Wednesday.

Fakeware: software under false flag, services, and sometimes pretends exactly the opposite of doing

Measured by the number of viruses, trojans and worms attacking your computer Total cuts from Germany but good. The number of infected PCs is - Conficker or not - in the second half of 2008 declined by 5.4 percent, said Microsoft security expert Thomas Baumgärtner. Here, the study identified under the 1000 revised 3.6 PCs infected computers, internationally, there were 8.6 computers.

The biggest increase had been a year and a half attacks with pseudo-security software. They deceive the online criminals before their victims, their computers were allegedly contaminated. Then they try to convince users, full of perceived security software to install. For it will then either a payment due, or they "supplied" from the user installation with advertising or even kidnapped the Internet browser to pages that you do not have selected.

HARMFUL AND spyware SOFTWARE: SO CO AND OPERATION TROJAN.

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Trojans

Like the Trojan horse in Greek mythology Computer Trojans hide their real task (and harmfulness!) Behind a fairing. Most occur as a harmless software: screensavers, video file, access program. They are, for example as an e-mail attachment, spread. Who the program starts, is thus always a hidden malicious function: Most of this is the opening of a so-called backdoor, a backdoor to the computer system over the Internet opens, and the other malicious programs are downloaded.

Virus

Computer viruses infect existing files on the computers of their victims. The landlord files work? at least for a while - to continue as before. Because viruses are not discovered. They spread not independently, but rely on that computer users infected files to pass them by e-mail, to a USB stick copy or sharing settings. Of the other harmful and Spähprogrammen is a virus spread by the sole method. What damage it causes depends solely on the will of its creator from.

Rootkit

The small compound, the words "root" and "kit" together: "Root" is for Unix systems, users with administrator rights, even in the depths of the system must intervene. A "kit" is a collection of tools. A rootkit is thus a set of programs, with full access to the system of a computer equipped. This allows the rootkit widespread manipulation, without that, for example, from virus scanners can still be perceived. Either the rootkit software includes, for example, disable security scanner, or it builds a so-called shell, which is regarded as a kind of mini-operating system operating in all suspicious transactions to the host is hidden. The majority of the outstanding Rootkits can be used, trojans, viruses, and other additional malicious software over the Internet message. Rootkits are among the most severely compromise a computer traceable.

Worm

Computer worms are, in practice, the tuned, lowered variants of viruses and Trojans. In the strict sense of the term only describes a program, which provides its own spread - and the programs that are transported. Worms contain a nucleus is a malicious program, for example, by initiating your own mail program to spread from an infected computer makes. Your Hauptverbreitungsweg are the communication channels of the web: e-mail, chats, AIMs, P2P exchanges, and others. In practice, they are often seen as a vehicle for the dissemination of various other malicious programs used.

Drive-by

Under a drive-by is the influence of a computer or even infection of the PC by simply visiting an infected website. The method is very few years the trend: taking advantage of recent security vulnerabilities in browsers and the use of scripts, a website deposited on a malicious code on a computer influence. Thus, virus spread, sniffer programs installed, the browser requests redirected to websites that pay for and more. Drive-BYS are particularly perfidious because they are from PC users no activity (such as opening an e-mail) request, but only carelessness. Victims are mostly users that their software is not through regular updates, keep up to date - that is potentially as good as any.

Botnet

Botnets are networks of computers kidnapped - the bots. With the help of Trojan programs, for example, through websites or manipulated fictitious e-mails to infiltrate the computers, make the botnet operator access to the external PC, you can control it via the Web. Such botnets to rent, can be a lucrative business. The zombie armies to be used, inter alia, to millions of spam e-mails to send, through a multiplicity of simultaneous requests websites to its knees or on a large grassy style passwords deductible. (more on blogs ONLINE)

Fakeware / Ransomware

The word is composed of "fake", ie "forgery" and "goods", the acronym for Software: It is all about "wrong software". These are programs that claim a specific performances, in fact, quite another to do so. Top form: Alleged IT security programs and virus scanners. In its innocuous variant, they are useless, but annoying: They constantly warn against any non-existent viruses, and try to make the PC user to a purchase to move. As adware programs they annoy the users with advertisers.

The perfidious form but is Ransomware: You kidnappt regelrecht the computer, makes him a hostage. It hinders or prevents normal work loads viruses from the network and makes claims to a "cleaning fee" or release fee, which is nothing more than a ransom: Only if you pay, you can use the computer to work again. 2006/2007 had often, but has since declined.

Zero-day exploits

A zero-day exploit exploits a software vulnerability already andem day on which the risk at all is noticed. Normally delivered to manufacturers of security software and the authors of malicious programs, a head-to-head races with the stopper, seal and exploit well-known vulnerabilities.

Risk No. 1: User

The biggest security risk in the world of the computer sitting in front of the computer. Not only lack of discipline in necessary software updates to make the user dangerous: He has a great fondness for free music from obscure sources, funny file attachments in e-mails and a great joy in communication oh-so-informal Plauderraum of the Web. Most damage in the IT are likely to benefit from users' fingers to mouse buttons cause.

In the best case, such Fakeware is a rough, highly questionable form of advertising, in the worst case, a criminal attack on the PC, to reach the target of extortion for ransom-blocked computer access or data (see box: "Fakeware / Ransomware").

Protection against any viruses offer the software as offered in any case not, but sometimes even pity, says Microsoft. Two of these malicious programs in the first half of 2008, not even among the top 25 of the experts were listed, were already in the second half to more than 1.5 million computers have been discovered.

Rather than exploit vulnerabilities in the operating system, focused cyber-criminals are now increasingly focused on security vulnerabilities in desktop and browser programs, the study showed. More than 90 percent of the vulnerabilities are in applications and browsers has been discovered.

VOTE

Fakeware attacks
Have you ever been a meeting with Fakeware gehabt?

Yes, I have been victims of Fakeware which I had to uninstall
Yes, I have seen such a thing already. "Trapped" I have nothing but
I know someone who is a prisoner has Fakeware
I'm not sure / no opinion
No, I do not know

For half of all security problems were however still lost or stolen computer is responsible. The study analyzed data from anonymous Microsoft hundreds of millions of computers worldwide. The U.S. software company Microsoft has a lively interest in the malware scene clean up: The majority of viruses and malicious software problems Windows-based systems from Microsoft.