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Smart people buy legitimate products from legitimate sellers.
2 replies
Smart people buy legitimate products from legitimate sellers.
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I think it's a great scam, especially \"we found remnants of porn on your computer.\" Genius.
Because 85% of men quietly start freaking out while sitting in front of the family computer.
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if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck...it's a Zlob trojan trying to act like a legitimate antivirus asking you to buy it only to receive countless further viruses
Next your going to tell me \"SpeedUpMyPC.com\" is a scam.
Yes, I'm referring to that company that uses fake screen shots on Macs and then says, \"not available for mac\".
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@Git Em SteveDave loves this guy->★: That is my favorite fix my pc ad. We have had only two customers who actually paid for \"XP Antivirus\", and I tried really hard not make fun of them, but couldn't help myself. Earlier I sent in a letter to Consumerist that they sent one of the customers after he did a chargeback to get his money back, it was hilarious. It talked about how people were using their legitimate software and loading it with malware. Too funny!
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@Git Em SteveDave loves this guy->★: So are you upset because the product is a scam, or because it's not available for your Mac?
Just askin' ;-)
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@MaxSmart32: Don't forget FinallyFast. I thought a bit odd that they used a Mac as a prop, then mentioned it was only for PC. If they can't keep their facts straight in an ad, why would I trust them mucking about with my PC?
@RecordStoreToughGuy: That's the one.
@humphrmi: I am running a 350mhz G3 with 10.2.8. NOTHING can make it fast. :)
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@Git Em SteveDave loves this guy->★: dude time for a new computer. 1.33ghz G4 machines still handle basic internet stuff and most internet video (not h.264 though) well. my powerbook G4 1.33ghz 12\" still kicks ass on the internet. you can prob pick up a G4 quick silver for about $100 or so.
i think i understand how slow your comp is, as i was playing with a PowerMac blue and white, which runs a 450mhz G3 with maxed out with 1gb of ram. that thing ran like a bat out of hell on the internet. I should turn that into a webserver...
@segamanxero: Mine is a Blue and White(Yosemite) 350 with 1gb of RAM running 10.2.8, which is literally just under what the minimum system requirements for 10.2 were.
I am running two newer PC's and two laptops as well, but I love my mac, and don't wan tto replace it as long as it is somewhat good. I've thought about a processor upgrade though.
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@Git Em SteveDave loves this guy->★: I am running a 350mhz G3 with 10.2.8. NOTHING can make it fast.
ooo I don't know about that, a handful of C4 and... :-)
@MaxSmart32: Is that even the companies name? I just caught their new commercial where the guy literally \"flies\" through the internet his computer is so fast. They also flash real fast that the scan is free, getting fixing things may cost money.
While I am glad the FTC and the courts stepped in to stop this kind of BS advertising...I'll say what I say in every thread.
Think with your brain...that's what it's for. It's been over a decade now since the public was first taught not to click on random internet ads. People seem to now take a step further by not only clicking on ads, they then giving them their credit card information.
I realize not everyone is that familiar with computers and the internet...but how about a little common sense? Would you give a panhandler your credit card? Would you buy a \"mystery box\" from a random guy standing on a street corner? This is *almost* the same deal...
@RurouniX: There is no patch for human stupidity. If there ever were, we'd just make stupider humans :)
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@RurouniX:
The problem isn't just the stuff they are selling, but the fact that they put malware on your pc that is difficult to get off. It's especially a problem for corporate or other environments, where time and effort has to be put into removing stuff that end-users have installed.
I work in tech support, and we've had a number of users install XP AntiVirus. We've had to spend a considerable amount of time cleaning these machines, not to mention user downtime.
I always thought that most of those just removed competing spyware and installed their own...
Its so funny. I have worked on many a computer that I could have made more by blackmailing the husband because of the porn found or the sites visited. A warning popup might make people take heed even if it was fake.
I had one of these ads change my desktop background to white, disable the display settings on my computer and then asked me if I wanted to install their anti virus software. (I was on Vista and Firefox BTW.)
I promptly closed the window, did a full virus scan (AVG), full spyware scan, fixed the background issue (they changed my registry settings to disable the wallpaper options!), and never went back to the site that had the advertisement.
The \"the Mac is better\" crowd's arguments have been seriously flawed since day 1. Yes, it's true that the underlying Unix architecture inherently contains better permission controls, and Microsoft willingly allowed software to directly access the OS kernel for years. However, this crowd consistently ignores one glaring fact: market share.
Microsoft still holds at least an 85% monopoly on the world's computer operating systems. Apple's market share is still at a paltry 5-10% I believe. Linux is even smaller than that. That fact alone, and the fact that Windows is primarily used in business, makes it a prime target for malware. Why should malware writers even bother writing attacks for Unix-based systems, when they can only attack less than 1/10 of the world's computers? Even then, Macs are still primarily used in educational settings. What is an attacker going to steal? Grades? Oh, little Timmy got a \"D\" on his report. Tsk, tsk.
Mac and Linux fanboys, and anti-malware companies, need to wake up fast. As their respective market shares increase, malware writers will continue to evolve and write more and more exploits for those platforms. Besides, Microsoft has evolved as well; sealing off the kernel, including a spyware scanner, and enhancing permissions are all great steps forward.
Now if I can just figure out why Vista feels the need to thrash my hard drive repeatedly. I have disabled System Restore, Indexing, and Defragmentation, and I have few background processes runnning. WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT?!
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If we use the market share argument then you are saying a Toyota Camry is a better car then a BMW? Since it has a bigger market share.
You should type your comments in notepad and read them to yourself before posting. This will help you from embarrassing yourself.
@blackmage439: I think it has more to do with Bill Gates being the antichrist and the hacker community wanting to stick it to M$.
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@blackmage439: it must suck to be a windows user though. Malware writers have been trying for years to attack the mac but FAILED, not because of its numbers.
Meanwhile the Window fanboys can keep throwing money down the drain with their anti virus subscriptions. Antivirus subscriptions and apps will keep cutting your CPU performance AND suck $$ from your pocketbook every year.
@ironchef:
I use free AV and free AS products that use very little resources. I've never had a virus or malware on any of my computers. Multiple computers I'm able to buy at little more than the cost of 1 Apple.
Even if I paid for AV and AS I'd still come out better than if I'd paid for an overpriced Apple.
@ironchef:
NOD32 is one of the best and you wouldn't even notice it running. There's nothing wrong with running windows if you know what you're doing. Granted Windows machines are much more prone hostile takeovers if a naive user is at the kerboard ;)
We all know the people I'm talking about.
@blackmage439: Oldest and lamest argument in the book. 15% of the market is nothing to sneeze at, and whoever made some Mac malware would actually run on a Mac would own ALL of it. How is that not a tempting target?
@lannister80: @ironchef:
I should note I used to HATE Macs before I started using them at work. I now love them. I run Windows at home because Macs are too expensive for me right now... I should also note I haven't paid for antivirus in years (yay for AVG and smart Web surfing).
I'm simply pointing out the lame arguments that each side keeps throwing around. All I'm saying is Mac users and A-V companies should be aware of what could potentially be on the horizon. There ARE successful attacks out there for the Mac, just like there are for Linux. The only difference is their smaller global footprints and superior permissions structures make attacks slightly more difficult. Look at your Mac updates once in a while. Those updates labeled \"Security Update\" aren't just for show.
@blackmage439: The fact is that the only \"successful\" attacks on the mac still require the user to type in his username and password for the admin account. Admittedly, stupid people will do it, but that's the key HUGE Mac/Win difference.
@blackmage439: The last \"successful\" mac attack I can think of off the top of my head required the user to accept and install it (3 times, IIRC)... and then it couldn't really propagate.
I'm a mac user, as well as a pc user (and linux, too...) each OS has it's own reasons for use. I'd never say that mac is better because it can't get compromised, but I will say that it is a damn sight harder to compromise a mac than it is a windows box.
Oh, and the whole \"macs are more expensive\" thing.. yeah... a comparable pc costs just as much as a mac. Macs issue is that there aren't any low-to-mid range macs. I'd rather pay a bit more for something that is going to work correctly.
@NikkiSweet:
Windows machines have always worked fine for me. I'm not sure where you get the don't work correctly aspect from.
You're right, Apple doesn't have anything mid to low end. That's been my point. They're way too expensive. I don't buy the top of the line in computers. It will only be the top of the line for a month or two at most and you're paying a massive price premium for that. Especially when you factor in that in most cases the top of the line isn't much if any faster than high mid range for much for most uses and for much less money.
@blackmage439: Yes, but it's certainly used in high profile environments.
It was big news a few years ago when the Army switched its servers to Macs. Several large corporations (Northwest was an example) have largely switched over.
Depends on whose stats you look at, and where. US marketshare has been pegged as high as 14%.
One of the only things I saw that effectively rid machines of AntiVirus XP was the proprietary cocktail of anti-malware utilities engineered by GeekSquad. Some of the best stuff I've ever had the opportunity to use - twelve automated utilities running in a protected environment. Nothing gets past.
RurouniX:
the problem is, they disguise them to mimic legitimate Windows notifications or notices from Norton, McAfee, whatever. It's easy to click on them if you're not paying attention. And honestly, McAfee's software uses all sorts of scary pop-ups and notifications too, I'm surprised I can tell the difference at all!
Yes, this.
The main problem with my parent's computer is not that they're stupid or computer illiterate, it's that the windows often mimic legitimate ones and my father can't see well enough to distinguish the difference.
I am SO glad to see at least some of this getting shut down.
The biggest problem is not market share, it is simply stupidity (or level of computer-savvy).
People will always be stupid. They will always click on inappropriate banner ads, they will always fall for the same scams over and over.
If there weren't these types of fools, these scams would disappear quickly.
@aybara: This implies Apple users are smarter, or more computer savvy and I just don't think this is the case.
Sadly in this economy more and more computer targeted scams are gonna be out there.
No one with an ounce of sense would fall prey to this stuff.
The problem is that people treat computers like appliances, and don't want to understand what they are doing.
As an IT Security analyst I have dealt with this type of scam several times, most recently just last week.
We have PC technicians, but they depend on me for guidance, so I like to keep 'my hand in it' to stay ahead.
It was the Anti Virus 2009 scam. Ultimately what I used to get the system clean and usable was Malwarebyt's Anti-Malware free version.
The screens that the malware displays are very close to the security center look and are so persistent that I do understand how even a savvy user could fall for the scam out of frustration.
@framitz:
I've had to remove it from several PCs I'd like to sue the bastards for my time.
My employer bills $300+ per hour for my time.
I'll cut them a deal for 4 hours @ $250 per hour. Hehehe
Actually, that's not a bad idea to file a small claims complaint against them... of course just because you win in small claims court, doesn't mean you can collect the judgement.
@framitz: I had a buddy who let someone else on his laptop. He got it back with Yahoo toolbar shit all over his browser, his desktop display settings changed, his favorites changed, and Anti Virus 2009 popup. I tried a few malware/rootkit/virus/... scans and it didn't fix it (although they found some other trojans and viruses. I explained to him that he should never let anyone else use it and if he did he should only let them use the Guest account. Then since he didn't get an install disk, I told him to take it to where he got it and wipe the whole thing.
@framitz: I recently worked on a client's computer that had the same antivirus 2009 scam - except the client actually PAID for it.
In 7 years of doing freelance computer work I have seldom seen a more insidious, sneaky program. It's like Dick Cheney, Satan, Lars Ulrich and the demon from Legend all got together and brainstormed how to make the most evil piece of scumware (yes, i'm making a new term for it) EVER.
AV 2009 not only installed a rootkit and hijacked the browser, but it also added its own DNS server so that there was no way you could get around it. Avast also didn't pick it up on an initial scan. Malwarebytes has become a new recommendation for me after this, as it basically saved me from having to do a reinstall. It really seems like every year you have to re-evaluate your security arsenal.
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@framitz: I'm on the same boat, but after i or my suffering underlings (they will riot if they ever see me calling them like that) clear a workstation or laptop and notify the user of the scam, 40% of the time the system comes back in less than three weeks for the same thing.
The main issue is the looks and persistence of this thing is what gets most users.
What gets us is how much time we have to spend making sure we got this crap out of the machine.
@framitz:
Agreed - some of these 'anti-virus' screens are legitimate looking enough to fool a lot of people.
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@Adisharr: my mom accidently clicked on it a few weeks ago...none of her real anti-virus programs were picking it up. It took me 20 minutes to find the exe file, then I just changed the extension to .doc, they all picked it up and it was gone...just like that.
I fought this SOB for a week before giving up and re-imaging my drive (fortunately the image was only a week old). I don't know if this damned thing was working along side something else, but on my computer, the antivirus became disabled and I could install any new scanners including the malwarebyte program.
No idea how it got on my computer, although I strongly suspect it has something to do with my 15 year old daughter and music videos.
As far as the general smarts of people falling for this, I would have to say don't be to hard on them...it looks very real.
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This is a very old scam. This has been going on for many many many many moons now.
And I forgot to add NOD32 is the shit when it comes to AV software.
Yes.
Just don't listen to the overzealous salesperson who tells you that it protects against spyware. While it does catch SOME spyware, the majority of them unfortunately slip by.
Always run an antivirus AND an antispyware app (SuperAntiSpyware!), regardless of what AV you choose.
The sentiment and effort are great on the part of the FTC, but I would like to point everyone to a different Website than the one mentioned to get a list of anti-virus software. Got to [www.icsalabs.com] and you can see a list of \"Certified\" anti-virus products by ICSA Labs. Many of these products are available through retail channels or online.
NJTrout
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I have a Toshiba laptop with Windows Vista that I mostly use for the Net and playing old ROMS. It used to get the blue screen of death, or just plain froze! However, these programs got my laptop running like a dream...Firefox 3, Process Lasso, Avast! Antivirus, AdBlocker, Computer Cleaner and Web Of Trust. All are free and easy to install. Avast continually updates it's program to stay one step ahead, Process Lasso helps better manage memory and space usage, and Web of Trust warns you which sites and ads are 'dubious' before you get on them.
How about getting those extortionists from the Business Software Alliance to go fly a kite instead?
We run a small computer store on the west coast.
Over 50% of our bench repairs are for virus and spy-ware removal. The most effective message we give to our clients, that seems to work, is that it's a matter of patriotism to keep their computer security up to date. This hinders the possibility of their systems being used as bots for dos attacks.
At least 3 to 4 times a week we suggest a client to put fraud watches on their bank and credit card accounts.
As a side note, a large proportion of these infected systems have the isp's security programs. hmmm.
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Got the aforementioned Antivirus XP (or some variant of it) a few weeks ago myself. Funny thing was, I hadn't downloaded or touched anything to give it access to my system. I left my computer on for an hour to go watch Heroes in another room. When I got back, XP had restarted, and I was bombarded with this concoction of malware and spyware. Took me the whole night to clean it up. Good riddance.
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man i hate those scams with a passion....seen one too many at work over the past 3 months.
for some reason the damn thing is either sooo good or symantec corporate 10.1.5 just sucks that it wouldnt pick it up. obviously our dee-dee-dee users would be surfing at home on company laptops and come across the \"software\" and obviously they would scan their systems. the next day they call IT saying that there was a virus warning, ran scan, now it's even worse and it still says \"viruses found\". well no sh!t sherlock...if you would of thought for a second longer you might of said, let me get out of this site I just clicked on and ignore the message...but that's too much for an end user that only know how to plug in their itoy into the usb port of a computer! argh!!! sorry, a little venting.
i hate that antivirusxp2008 and another similar to it.
these attackers have the science of this crap down pat!
Charlie Miller that is all i have to say to Mac users. This man has been exploiting Apple security in almost every product they put out. All the exploits that Mr.Miller has exposed are remotely enabled.
Apple has no viruses because no one has a mac.
I really hope that this shuts them down for good, but, they are like roaches and they will probably spread quickly to other places outside the jurisdiction of the FTC. The screens are so much like a legit windows message even I had to look at it twice to make sure.
I have a cousin and niece who got taken in by this and it was a royal pain to clean up for one and the other is still trying to remove that garbage from her system.
The biggest laugh was when I got 'you may be infected' in Firefox... but I was running Linux at the time so I was fairly safe in assuming that I don't have a windows based virus. I still have a virus scanner on Linux (and windows) and ran it to be safe (I am also fairly paranoid on security).
AntiVirus 2009 is the devil...somehow I got it on my home PC. It wouldn't even allow me to start my PC in Safe Mode. It was a nightmare. I could start it in \"Use last known version of Windows\" but I couldn't run any programs. It took me over a month and my brother-in-law finally reading about MalwareBytes Anti-Malware to finally get rid of that little bastard.
I now keep a copy of MalwareBytes and SuperAntiSpyware on my thumb drive just in case this happens again.
I have also switched to using Firefox on both of my home computers--my PC and my laptop. Thus far it has helped tremendously with the spyware/malware/virus problem I was having with IE.
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Wait - my computer has illegal pornography on it? Cool!
I would love to corner any of those spyware/malware jagoffs into a dark alley.
I always laughed when I got these advertisements while browsing on my Mac. It would claim that the registry and all these Windows directories were infected. Only problem was that I didn't have any of that.
As the built in IT person (not my profession) for my parents and my in-laws, I can tell you the problem is not that \"people treat computers like an appliance\". I promise you my mother in law is not downloading porn, but there is also no way she is ever (based on experience) going to learn not to click on certain things.
How do we fix the problem? We can only educate so much, because malware will always be written to find a way around no matter what I teach and any advice I can give. We fix the problem by making computers that are actually usable for nojn-technical users. I have always said... the first person that releases a box with an OS on a card that can't be corrupted, that has two buttons: INTERNET and E-MAIL, and turns on and off like a TV is gonna be rich.
Those things are a scam? Next you'll tell me the one person who searched for me at Reunion.com wasn't a long lost high school friend!
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FINALLY!!!! I HAVE BEEN SENDING E-MAIL MESSAGES TO MY STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR OVER A YEAR ABOUT THIS SCAM AND I'M REALLY PLEASED THAT THE FTC IS GOING AFTER THESE GUYS. THOSE DISGUSTING FAKE ADS WOULD FREEZE UP MY COMPUTER AND THE ONLY REMEDY WAS TO REBOOT. SOMETIMES I WAS REBOOTING MORE THAN TEN TIMES A DAY. I HOPE THOSE PIECES OF CRAP GET A BIG FINE AND SOME JAIL TIME.
FINALLY!!! I used to work at Citibank in the fraud department, and I would always see someone disputing a charge from these guys at least once or twice a week. I'm glad they've been shut down.
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I remember this at my local library. I saw a middle-aged woman on one of these websites, looking confused as a fake scanner \"scanned\" the library computer, find a \"virus\" every second or so. I had to tell her that it was a scam for her to stop looking at it.
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ABOUT TIME this got shot down.
AVG finally started catching it as a \"virus\", since neither Spybot nor Ad-Aware could effectively get rid of it.
\"AntivirusXP\" has to be one of THE WORST \"non-virus\"-Viruses out there, at least for windows users.
Cue the \"this is why macs are better\" commentary in 3, 2, 1...
@weakdome:
I made a FAIL pic of one of those scans reporting all sorts of malicious .DLLs and keyloggers - with the fake XP error box.
Looked great loaded on Safari on my Mac.
@CliffordRizza: One of the computers at work managed to catch vundo through buffer overflow attack on IE6. It took me more than half the day to finally find something that could remove it. I had no luck with symantec, unsurprisingly. Then vundofix, housecall, and adaware all failed. Finally, I found a program called Malwarebytes and after a scan, a reboot, and a browser upgrade, the machine has been in full remission for over a week.
@weakdome: Oy... I've had to disinfect a good dozen or so machines where I work. SuperAntiSpyware + some elbow grease in HijackThis did the job, but it was aggravating.
Even better, I'd often clear it with HijackThis and clean it with SAS, and have to rescan. Had to rescan twice a couple times even.
Ad-Aware, Spybot, and McAfee (mandated on the last one) didn't get it.
@weakdome: Antivirus XP is a particularly nasty one. Both my brother and my wife got this on their machines. Same story in both cases: They visited a familiar, legitimate website in IE7 and were suddenly infected with this anti-virus virus.
My brother's computer pretty much bricked after removal using CA anti-virus, but my wife's work machine was fine after using the Malwarebytes tool. In both cases the anti-virus protection was either non-existent or out of date when the machines became infected.
@weakdome:
Macs are better.
@weakdome:
Oh god, AntivirusXP. The only thing I've found yet to effectively kill that is a combination of Smithfraudfix (most important) followed by antivirus and Spybot scans. What a pain in the ass.