Rogue antispyware/antivirus software

Classification

Category :

Malware

Type :

Rogue

Aliases :

Rogue antispyware/antivirus software, Fraudtool.[variant], Fraudpack.[variant], Trojan.fakealert

Summary

Deceptive or fraudulent antispyware/antivirus software that uses misleading or high-pressure tactics (e.g., falsely claiming a malware infection or deliberately infecting the machine) to pressure users into installing or purchasing the software.

Removal

Based on the settings of your F-Secure security product, it will either move the file to the quarantine where it cannot spread or cause harm, or remove it.

Further actions

In some cases, a rogue may have been silently installed on the system in a 'drive-by download'. In such cases, disinfection should be accompanied by a check to determine if any programs require updating or patching; if so, please refer to the program vendor's site for further details.

A False Positive is when a file is incorrectly detected as harmful, usually because its code or behavior resembles known harmful programs. A False Positive will usually be fixed in a subsequent database update without any action needed on your part. If you wish, you may also:

  • Check for the latest database updates

    First check if your F-Secure security program is using the latest updates, then try scanning the file again.

  • Submit a sample

    After checking, if you still believe the file is incorrectly detected, you can submit a sample of it for re-analysis.

    Note: If the file was moved to quarantine, you need to collect the file from quarantine before you can submit it.

  • Exclude a file from further scanning

    If you are certain that the file is safe and want to continue using it, you can exclude it from further scanning by the F-Secure security product.

    Note: You need administrative rights to change the settings.

Technical Details

Rogue antivirus/antispyware programs (generally known as 'rogueware' or 'rogues') are security applications that use misleading, high-pressure, fraudulent or malicious sales tactics to convince users into installing and/or purchasing the product.

The quality of the purchased software itself is also suspect; once installed, the product may not perform as expected. Some are simply substandard products that present false information or false positives due to bugs in the software's code, rather than because of an outright deception. Code corrections can move a suspect program off the rogueware detection lists. Other rogues however are intentionally malicious and either do not bring no benefit to the user, or actively interfere with the computer's operations or compromise the user's data.

Rogue antispyware or antivirus programs typically closely mimic legitimate applications, using similar (or even identical) styling and packaging to convey legitimacy. As such, it can be difficult for both technical and non-technical users to differentiate between legitimate and rogue applications.