Fake anti-virus imitates Microsoft update, warns Sophos

Issued by Me Talk Pretty for Sophos South Africa
Johannesburg, 13 Jun 2011

Sophos is warning Windows users about the latest fake anti-virus attack, which tricks users into installing malicious software that poses as a Microsoft security update.

Affected users will see an almost exact replica of the real Microsoft Update page; the only difference being that the bogus page appears while surfing with Firefox, whereas the genuine Microsoft Update site requires Internet Explorer.

Sophos has found that fake anti-virus attacks have become more sophisticated and professional in their appearance, convincing more innocent computer users into making bad decisions. The use of high quality graphics and a professional interface means that there is a risk that more users are likely to fall for the scams.

The use of the Microsoft Update disguise takes advantage of the monthly "Patch Tuesday" security updates that Microsoft regularly issues, and that users are encouraged to install to defend their computers.

"Users need to be more vigilant than ever before as bogus security alerts pop-up in their browsers. Fake anti-virus attacks are big business for cyber criminals and they are investing time and effort into making them as convincing as possible," says Brett Myroff, CEO of regional Sophos distributor, Sophos South Africa.

"Malicious hackers are using smart social engineering tricks more and more often, and the risk is that users will be scared by a phoney warning into handing over money to fix problems that never existed in the first place."

Sophos South Africa

NetXactics, trading as Sophos South Africa, is a South African-based company focused on the provision of security solutions. It is the master distributor for UK-based Sophos, one of the leaders in the provision of network access control and endpoint, e-mail and Web security and control solutions for the corporate environment. For more information, visit Sophos South Africa at http://www.sophos.co.za.

Sophos

Sophos enables enterprises worldwide to secure and control their IT infrastructure. Our network access control, endpoint, Web and e-mail solutions simplify security to provide integrated defences against malware, spyware, intrusions, unwanted applications, spam, policy abuse, data leakage and compliance drift. With over 20 years of experience, we protect over 100 million users in nearly 150 countries with our reliably engineered security solutions and services. Recognised for our high level of customer satisfaction, we have an enviable history of industry awards, reviews and certifications. Sophos is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts and Oxford, UK.

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