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Beware of Trojan Disguising Itself as Microsoft Security Essentials

by Amar Toor on October 26, 2010 at 02:00 PM

microsoft security essentials trojan
If you come across any software claiming to be 'Microsoft Security Essentials,' you might want to double-check before downloading it, because it may very well be a trojan.

Known as 'Win32/FakePAV,' this trojan reportedly does a pretty good job of disguising itself, and features many of the same displays and messages you'd see on an authentic version of Security Essentials. Once downloaded, however, the file will automatically generate false alerts, and recommend that you buy additional pieces of fake security software with names like 'AntiSpySafeguard,' 'Major Defense Kit,' 'Peak Protection,' 'Pest Detector' and 'Red Cross.'

The basic idea, as Microsoft explains, is to "scare you into purchasing a product." The true Security Essentials software, of course, is available for free download, so any rogue software asking for payment should automatically raise a red flag. The trojan is also being distributed by a technique known as 'drive-by-download,' and will usually appear as a hotfix.exe or mstsc.exe file, so be on the look out for that, too.

To help guard against the trojan, it's a good idea to make sure your security software is up to date. But if you think your computer may have already been infected, Microsoft recommends cleaning it out with the real Security Essentials software, which you can find here, at no cost.

Tags: malware, Microsoft, Microsoft Security Essentials, MicrosoftSecurityEssentials, security, security essentials, SecurityEssentials, software, Software Update, SoftwareUpdate, top, trojan

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