Giving Antivirus Pro 2010 The Flick Once And For All.
When you depend on your computer for school, work, information, or communication, even minor annoyances can have a big impact. Pop-ups and slow performance can also point to an issue that needs your attention: rogue antivirus programs. Antivirus Pro 2010 and others like it use pop-ups as a tool to persuade computer users to purchase their software.
Antivirus Pro 2010: A Rogue Program
What do Antivirus Pro 2010, PC AntiSpyware 2010, Home Antivirus 2010, PC Security 2009, and XP AntiSpyware 2009 have in common? While they sound like computer security programs, they are actually a family of rogue antivirus programs. Unlike your legitimate security software, rogue programs cannot scan your computer, nor can they fix any threats to your system.
When you start your computer, Antivirus Pro 2010 starts running a false scan. It will issue the results, indicating that it has found several threats. The threats are meaningless and harmless files created by Antivirus Pro 2010 in order to convince you of risks. In other words, they help create the illusion of a threat.
How Rogue Programs like Antivirus Pro 2010 Access Your System
Antivirus Pro 2010 can be installed directly by the computer user. This can happen in two ways: they visit a website that advertises Antivirus Pro 2010 and opt to purchase it, or they are convinced by the pop-ups on their computer that they have several security threats that need to be resolved immediately. They purchase the licensed version of the program, which, as it turns out, is no different from the trial or free version.
More commonly, Antivirus Pro 2010 is brought into your system via the Trojan Zlob. This particular Trojan disguises itself as a video codec. You need a codec both to compress data and to decompress it, so when you download a video online, you need the codec to play it. This is how Zlob gains entry. Antivirus Pro 2010 is deposited into your system. Zlob is known to hide in sites that offer free or inexpensive videos, particularly those on sites with adult content.
The Conflicker.b Trojan, found in affected email attachments, is also associated with this rogue program.
Signs that Antivirus Pro 2010 is Installed in Your System
Because this program can be downloaded without your consent, it is important to know the signs that it is present in your computer.
Slow computer performance. If you have noticing that it takes longer to open documents or load websites, it could very well indicate that a rogue program is at work in your system. Antivirus Pro 2010 programs itself to launch whenever you start your computer. It then remains running constantly in the background, which diverts resources away from your programs. If you are not sure if your computer is running abnormally slow, here is a good test. Close all your programs and open your task manager.
It will tell you here how much CPU you are using currently. Since you have no programs open, it should only be 1-2 percent. If there is a rogue program, you will notice that your CPU usage will be very high, perhaps as high as seventy or eighty percent.
Hijacked browser settings. The whole objective of these programs is to convince you to purchase the software. To do this, Antivirus Pro 2010 will attempt to divert you to one of its rogue sites when you try to get to your homepage or when navigating to other sites. You may see error 404 messages, which indicate that the page you want cannot be found. You will also see that these messages contain links. Never click on these links.
New icons or shortcuts. Antivirus Pro 2010 can create these on your desktop and/or system try. The icons may flash, and when clicked on, they will report various security threats to you. Remember that these are false. Again, like the hijacked browser settings, the purpose of these icons and shortcuts is to guide you to one of the Antivirus Pro 2010 websites where you will be urged to buy the protection of this program. It cannot be emphasized enough that these threats are not real and that Antivirus Pro 2010 and other rogue antivirus programs cannot protect your computer.
Pop-ups. Filters normally block most pop-ups from ever seeing our screen. If you begin noticing more of these, it is a good sign that a rogue program has been downloaded into your system. They take the form of either warning messages or scan results. Antivirus Pro 2010 mimics the look of Windows Security Center, so be very careful when reading any message that pops up.
Rogue programs like this want you to see that there are threats but do now want you to take the time to notice details. If you do, then you can determine if such a program is installed and what specific one it is. Antivirus Pro 2010 is written clearly across the top of such ads. You may receive a message that tells you:
Security Center helps you manage your Windows Security settings. To protect your computer, make sure the three security essentials are turned ON. If the settings are not ON, follow the recommendation
It gives you the option of installing additional software or upgrading your security program. Avoid clicking on these ads. Instead, close them with the task manager.
False security scans are also very common. Again, these mimic those generated by Security Center. Take a moment to read any scan results page carefully. In this case, you will see Antivirus Pro 2010 written clearly at the top, accompanied by a shield symbol (also designed to mimic legitimate program logos) and the message, Protect Your Windows OS.
The results will indicate that a system scan has been run, and it lists several threats it has found. Remember that these are false results, and Antivirus Pro 2010 is likely the only threat to your system.
If you notice signs like the above, take immediate steps to remove Antivirus Pro 2010 from your computer safely and effectively.
Antivirus Pro 2010: A Rogue Program
What do Antivirus Pro 2010, PC AntiSpyware 2010, Home Antivirus 2010, PC Security 2009, and XP AntiSpyware 2009 have in common? While they sound like computer security programs, they are actually a family of rogue antivirus programs. Unlike your legitimate security software, rogue programs cannot scan your computer, nor can they fix any threats to your system.
When you start your computer, Antivirus Pro 2010 starts running a false scan. It will issue the results, indicating that it has found several threats. The threats are meaningless and harmless files created by Antivirus Pro 2010 in order to convince you of risks. In other words, they help create the illusion of a threat.
How Rogue Programs like Antivirus Pro 2010 Access Your System
Antivirus Pro 2010 can be installed directly by the computer user. This can happen in two ways: they visit a website that advertises Antivirus Pro 2010 and opt to purchase it, or they are convinced by the pop-ups on their computer that they have several security threats that need to be resolved immediately. They purchase the licensed version of the program, which, as it turns out, is no different from the trial or free version.
More commonly, Antivirus Pro 2010 is brought into your system via the Trojan Zlob. This particular Trojan disguises itself as a video codec. You need a codec both to compress data and to decompress it, so when you download a video online, you need the codec to play it. This is how Zlob gains entry. Antivirus Pro 2010 is deposited into your system. Zlob is known to hide in sites that offer free or inexpensive videos, particularly those on sites with adult content.
The Conflicker.b Trojan, found in affected email attachments, is also associated with this rogue program.
Signs that Antivirus Pro 2010 is Installed in Your System
Because this program can be downloaded without your consent, it is important to know the signs that it is present in your computer.
Slow computer performance. If you have noticing that it takes longer to open documents or load websites, it could very well indicate that a rogue program is at work in your system. Antivirus Pro 2010 programs itself to launch whenever you start your computer. It then remains running constantly in the background, which diverts resources away from your programs. If you are not sure if your computer is running abnormally slow, here is a good test. Close all your programs and open your task manager.
It will tell you here how much CPU you are using currently. Since you have no programs open, it should only be 1-2 percent. If there is a rogue program, you will notice that your CPU usage will be very high, perhaps as high as seventy or eighty percent.
Hijacked browser settings. The whole objective of these programs is to convince you to purchase the software. To do this, Antivirus Pro 2010 will attempt to divert you to one of its rogue sites when you try to get to your homepage or when navigating to other sites. You may see error 404 messages, which indicate that the page you want cannot be found. You will also see that these messages contain links. Never click on these links.
New icons or shortcuts. Antivirus Pro 2010 can create these on your desktop and/or system try. The icons may flash, and when clicked on, they will report various security threats to you. Remember that these are false. Again, like the hijacked browser settings, the purpose of these icons and shortcuts is to guide you to one of the Antivirus Pro 2010 websites where you will be urged to buy the protection of this program. It cannot be emphasized enough that these threats are not real and that Antivirus Pro 2010 and other rogue antivirus programs cannot protect your computer.
Pop-ups. Filters normally block most pop-ups from ever seeing our screen. If you begin noticing more of these, it is a good sign that a rogue program has been downloaded into your system. They take the form of either warning messages or scan results. Antivirus Pro 2010 mimics the look of Windows Security Center, so be very careful when reading any message that pops up.
Rogue programs like this want you to see that there are threats but do now want you to take the time to notice details. If you do, then you can determine if such a program is installed and what specific one it is. Antivirus Pro 2010 is written clearly across the top of such ads. You may receive a message that tells you:
Security Center helps you manage your Windows Security settings. To protect your computer, make sure the three security essentials are turned ON. If the settings are not ON, follow the recommendation
It gives you the option of installing additional software or upgrading your security program. Avoid clicking on these ads. Instead, close them with the task manager.
False security scans are also very common. Again, these mimic those generated by Security Center. Take a moment to read any scan results page carefully. In this case, you will see Antivirus Pro 2010 written clearly at the top, accompanied by a shield symbol (also designed to mimic legitimate program logos) and the message, Protect Your Windows OS.
The results will indicate that a system scan has been run, and it lists several threats it has found. Remember that these are false results, and Antivirus Pro 2010 is likely the only threat to your system.
If you notice signs like the above, take immediate steps to remove Antivirus Pro 2010 from your computer safely and effectively.
