ZDNet reports that malware writers have come up with a new social engineering angle. The bad guys have started mashing up two issues Green and Security to help spread their malware. CA has been tracking the emergence of new scareware called Green-AV Premier Edition 3.0.
The malware claims to be the “World’s First Antivirus Which Cares About the Environment” and “costs” $99.99, This attack plays on Green sympathies by promising to donate $2 from every purchase for saving the “Amazonian green forests.”
CA says that the effects of an attack from this malware are similar to those caused by most rogue security software.
Recommendations:
- Keep your security software up to date
- Never click on a link you did not ask for
- Never purchase this type of security software since you could be giving your credit card information to fraudsters and making yourself a target of identity theft
Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.