What is a scareware attack?
Have you ever received a notification warning you that your computer has been infected with viruses? This is a classic scareware technique. As the name suggests, a scareware attack scares users into believing that their computer is infected with a virus. It lures them into a trap of downloading additional programs to remove the fake malware.
This type of attack exploits pop-up ads and social engineering techniques. It encourages users to act quickly to resolve a supposed security issue.
The goal is to trick users into revealing sensitive information about what they believe to be a legitimate solution to their cybersecurity problem. Scareware attacks can cause a variety of damage, includingidentity theft and credit card fraud. However, if you are alert enough and know how to avoid scareware, you have nothing to fear.
Scareware attack techniques
Learning to spot the threat starts with understanding the techniques used to carry out these attacks.
Next, hackers use various entry points to launch such attacks, such as:
Pop-up
This is one of the most commonly used scareware attack techniques by hackers. You will mainly encounter this method on websites powered by popular social media platforms such as Facebook.
With this technique, a window pops up like an antivirus software alert. It attempts to trick users into believing that their computers or mobile devices contain dangerous malware.
The user clicks on the window to get a solution and puts the system at risk with malware instead of antivirus software.
In most cases, these pop-ups are persistent and difficult to close. If you encounter such a problem, press Ctrl + Alt + Delete to restart your system.
Phishing emails
This is a technique where a hacker sends you an email (or voice message, text message, or other type of communication) asking you to take urgent action.
A scareware email typically asks recipients to click on a link to download antivirus software, which is supposed to help eliminate a specific threat. Or it asks you to share access to your system so that "technical support" can manage the problem.
Downloads/Installations
In some cases, pirates offer users free goodies such as PDF files of popular books, songs, software, videos, music, and games. Most users are unaware that pirates hide malware in these offers.
Cybercriminals also clone popular applications and software to trick unsuspecting users into downloading their malware.
What does scareware look like?
In many cases, scareware attacks display an alert message with a red screen displaying a security logo and a dialog box.
The dialog box may appear to come from your current antivirus software or your Windows/iOS operating system. Sometimes scareware attacks are accompanied by a "clickjacking" feature. When you think you are closing the dialog box, it redirects you to a malicious website or automatically downloads malware onto your devices.
Removal of scareware
Scary ads or pop-up alerts on your screen mean that malware may have infected your computer. This may also be the result of the website you are visiting. Here are some common signs that your system is infected:
- Your PC is unusually slow
- You are unable to install a legitimate security program
- Your computer screen is full of annoying ads and pop-ups.
If you accidentally download fake antivirus software, uninstall it immediately. You can invest in third-party cybersecurity solutions or antivirus software to completely remove the scareware.
Conduct thorough research and discuss the risks associated with scareware with colleagues on the same network to find out how they have solved the problem. Finally, make sure you update your computer and security software with the latest protection measures and patches.
