Microsoft Windows is the most widely-used operating system available in the world today. Its usability, attractive interface, and efficiency as an operating system has made it the first choice as an operating system for PC users everywhere. The extensive security system that is automatically available on Windows is also considered to be invaluable, as it contains such features as an early warning system and various security cleanup applications.
However, this comprehensive security system can be used for evil purposes as well. Various malware developers are developing software that uses the Windows Security Alerts for tricking users into paying for malware applications that are practically useless. This type of malware which so blatantly uses the security system of Windows to steal from the user is known as rogue anti-malware. Rogue anti-malware applications reside on the internet, associated with malicious websites as well as downloaded executables and audio/video codecs. More often than not, they use the help of a Trojan which exploits any security loopholes in the user's system to enter the computer.
Once installed on the system, the rogue anti-malware proceeds to appear as a legitimate security program and exploits Windows Security Alerts to warn users about malware applications that are present on the system which are not really there. These warnings may be related to the Windows Firewall, Network and Sharing Center, or Windows Explorer. Long lists of threatened files will be falsely shown in dialog boxes so similar to those of Windows Security that the user will not be able to figure out that these are fake warnings. Another cleaver trick that rogue anti-malware use is to display fake warning pop-ups from the Windows Taskbar.
The Windows Taskbar is considered by many users to be a highly legitimate extension of Windows which cannot be compromised; therefore when warnings start to pop-up from there, the user needs to take caution and first check if the warning is a scam.
The first thing the user should attempt to do is to run a full security scan using his installed security client. If you do not have one installed we recommend Spyware Doctor with Antivirus. This should be able to detect if you really are infected with a virus and from there you can make an informed decision on what to do next to resolve the Windows Security Alert.
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