Microsoft warns that scareware is on the rise

Don't believe the hype - think twice before succumbing to rogue 'scareware'
Don't believe the hype - think twice before succumbing to rogue 'scareware'

Microsoft today released the sixth volume of its Microsoft Security Intelligence Report, showing a significant increase in rogue security software or 'scareware'

Scareware pretends to alert users to security breaches in their system, while actually luring them to 'upgrade' to unnecessary purchases - or even install malware designed to steal personal information.

The Report shows that two rogue families, Win32/FakeXPA and Win32/FakeSecSen, were detected on more than 1.5 million computers by Microsoft software, catapulting them into the top 10 threats in the second half of the year.

Maintain your sangfroid

In addition, Win32/Renos, a threat used to deliver rogue security software, was detected on 4.4 million unique computers, an increase of two thirds over the first half of 2008.

"We continue to see an increase in the number of threats and complexity of those threats designed to implement crime at a variety of levels online," said Vinny Gullotto of the Microsoft Malware Protection Center. "We are seeing cybercriminals increasingly going after vulnerabilities in human nature rather than software."

Attackers have apparently shifted their focus from operating systems to applications - nearly 90 per cent of the vulnerabilities disclosed in the second half of 2008 affected applications.

Do you know where your laptop is?

The Security Intelligence Report also showed that lost and stolen equipment, not computer hacking, continues to be the most common cause of security breaches resulting in data loss - accounting for half of all reported incidents.

Released twice a year, the Microsoft Security Intelligence Report uses data gathered from hundreds of millions of computers worldwide to provide an in-depth snapshot of the threat landscape.

This volume covers the second half of 2008.

TOPICS
Latest in Tech
Apple iPhone 16e
Which affordable phone wins the mid-range race: the iPhone 16e, Nothing 3a, or Samsung Galaxy A56? Our latest podcast tells all
The Apple MacBook Air next to the Dyson Supersonic R and new AMD GPU
ICYMI: the week's 7 biggest tech stories from the best tech at MWC to Apple's new iPads and MacBooks
A triptych image featuring the Bose Solo Soundbar 2, Nothing Phone 3a Pro and the Panasonic Lumix S1R II.
5 trailblazing tech reviews of the week: Nothing's stylish, affordable flagship and why you should buy AMD's new graphics card over Nvidia's
The best tech of MWC 2025 examples, including the Nothing Phone 3a Pro, the Nubia Flip 2, and the Lenovo Solar PC
Best of MWC 2025: the 10 top tech launches we tried on the show floor
Toy Fair 2025 Primal Hatch
The 7 best toys we saw at Toy Fair 2025, from a Lego boat to a hatching, robotic dinosaur
ICYMI
ICYMI: the 7 biggest tech stories of the week, from a next-gen Alexa to the new iPhone 16e
Latest in News
Image showing detail of the Leica D-Lux 8
Still can't get a Fujifilm X100VI? This premium Leica compact costs less, and it's in stock
Man using iMessage on an iPhone
Apple will finally enable encrypted RCS messages between iOS and Android, and it's about time
Jason Sudeikis' Ted Lasso pointing at someone in Ted Lasso season 2
Believe it, baby: Ted Lasso season 4 is officially in development for Apple TV+ and Jason Sudeikis will reprise his role as the titular soccer coach
Quordle on a smartphone held in a hand
Quordle hints and answers for Saturday, March 15 (game #1146)
NYT Strands homescreen on a mobile phone screen, on a light blue background
NYT Strands hints and answers for Saturday, March 15 (game #377)
NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background
NYT Connections hints and answers for Saturday, March 15 (game #643)