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Microsoft erases phony app from 4 lakh PCs
By siliconindia
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Monday, 29 December 2008, 18:09 IST
Bangalore: Around four lakh PCs have been released from the grip of a fake security application, Antivirus 2009 through the software giant Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT). According to the company, the MSRT erased the fake from over 394,000 PCs in the first nine days after it released this month's edition on Dec. 9.
According to a researcher, cyberpunks can pull in as much as five million dollars a year by installing the rogue programs on PCs, then dunning users with infection claims and constant pop-ups until the victims pay $40 or $50 to purchase the useless applications. Hence, as a campaign against the fake software, Microsoft trumpeted the cleaning operation whereby it pushes the MSRT, which can be downloaded from the company's website, to Windows users which erases the fake softwares from the PCs. Prior to the booting of Antivirus 2009, Microsoft had kicked off malwares like Advanced Antivirus, Ultimate Antivirus 2008 and XPert Antivirus.
During the December campaign the targets were W32/FakeXPA, Antivirus XP, AntivirusXP 2008 and Antivirus 2009. Microsoft also aimed the December version of MSRT at an affiliated piece of malware, called "W32/Yektel," that works alongside W32FakeXPA and is often bundled with the phony security software. The malware inserts false warning into Internet Explorer (IE) and mimic IE's own legitimate drop-down alerts. "The trojan go a step further and insert phony warnings into Google search results," said Microsoft researcher Hamish O'Dea. The malicious software detect IE rendering a URL that includes google, and inserts a fake message that says, "Google has detected unregistered Antivirus 2009 copy on your computer. Google recommends you activate Antivirus 2009 to protect your PC from malicious intrusions from the Internet." The links from Yektel's warnings take users to a website where users are urged to pay $50 to register Antivirus 2009.