Is Your Computer Infected? Shocking Tips To Spot A Fake Antivirus Program And Save Your Device!
Your computer is your gateway to the rest of the world, but like anything else, it is vulnerable to malware, which could cause irreversible damage to your device. Scammers often use fake antivirus programs to lure unsuspecting users and steal their confidential information. To avoid falling prey to such scams, it is essential to learn how to spot them.
The problem with fake antivirus software is that it looks just like the real thing. It is designed to mimic legitimate antivirus programs and come with flashy graphics and catchy slogans to deceive you into downloading it. Once downloaded, the fake software can infect your device with a virus or malware, leaving your data vulnerable to attacks.
So how do you spot a fake antivirus program?
- Pop-up alerts
One of the most common ways that cybercriminals trick users into downloading fake antivirus software is by using pop-up alerts. These alerts appear suddenly and claim that your computer has been infected with a virus or malware. Usually, they would ask you to click on a link or download their fake antivirus software to fix the problem.
Always remember, legitimate antivirus software will never display pop-up alerts. Instead, they will have a dedicated window with a clear message that your device is at risk.
- High-pressure sales tactics
Scammers often use high-pressure sales tactics, offering “limited time” discounts or “emergency” situations that require immediate action. They would give statements such as “your computer is at high risk” or “you have already been hacked,” which creates a sense of urgency, making you anxious and prompt to take immediate actions.
Always take your time and never rush to make decisions when dealing with your device’s security. Never allow anyone to pressure you into making rash decisions.
- Malware scanners
Fake antivirus software often comes with malware scanners that claim to have found countless malware on your device. They prompt the users to pay for the full-version software to clean the malware. Unfortunately, this is another trick to scare users into paying for a service that they probably do not need.
Before you download any antivirus software or pay for any services, research the software to ensure its legitimacy.
- Emphasis on scanning results
Fake antivirus program creators often lure unsuspecting users by making false claims and exaggerating the scanning results. They claim to have found countless viruses and malware on your device, creating the impression that your device is severely infected, and you need their software’s full version to fix the problem.
If you ever receive such a message, take a deep breath and consider the source. Scammers often use exaggerations to trick users into trusting them, and it is crucial to always question everything.
In conclusion
Fake antivirus software poses a considerable threat to modern devices, and the only way to protect yourself is to learn how to spot them. Take the time to research the software and, if possible, seek professional advice to ensure your device gets the necessary protections. Never trust any pop-ups or high-pressure sales tactics and, most importantly, trust your intuition.
Antivirus software is not as straightforward as it may seem. Ever since it came out, new features have been added to each one to make it more competitive. In fact, some recent pieces of software also operate within the cloud to ensure compatibility with a variety of devices and operating systems. But with all the advances of antivirus software, they still fail to tell you if they’re fake or not. Obviously, a fake piece of software will do everything it can to convince you that it’s real. How can you detect this?
The Characteristics of Antivirus
Antivirus programs are, in essence, those that detect malicious code on a computer. They do this by looking through common patterns expressed in application code. To put it simply, antivirus programs look for behaviors that are deemed suspicious in order to detect viruses that are not necessarily in their databases. Of course, every good antivirus also uses its own database of known viruses to scan files for them. However, the developers know that their software won’t have every single virus within its database. That’s why they employ behavioral analysis (called “heuristics”) to scan for what could be a virus.
Some people make the mistake of thinking that antivirus programs are fake when they come up with false alarms during their scans. This is simply not true because of what I stated above. So, how do we detect what constitutes a scammy or fake antivirus?
The EICAR Test
One of the best ways to test antivirus software back in the day was the simple EICAR test. It’s a 68-byte command-line file that antivirus programs detect as a virus to show that they’re authentic and working. You can download it here.
This test is fallible, though. Many modern antivirus programs do not bother to develop a sequence for the EICAR test, meaning they won’t detect it as a virus. Also, a fake antivirus can easily detect this. This test was valid back in a more innocent and simple time, but we’re in an era where tests based on good faith don’t work anymore.
So, How do We Know if an Antivirus Program Is Phony?
Obviously, a fake program will take less effort to write than the “real deal.” For this reason, fake antivirus programs are often lightweight.
But what if the developer fills it with a whole bunch of junk data?
Does the software scan unusually fast? Since antivirus programs mostly rely on Windows’ input/output conventions to access the hard drive (and hard drives are generally very slow), they all operate on relatively similar speeds. If an antivirus software makes claims that it’s faster than others, that should be a red flag. It may well be a real piece of software, and it might really scan quickly, but no antivirus is going to scan a 500 GB repository of files in two minutes. None. Even if you have an SSD, this is not possible for the time being. If it’s scanning that fast, you should be very suspicious.
Also, fake antivirus programs tend to detect many problems in your computer, do not offer free trials, and offer to clean up the issues only if you pay a certain sum.
But, by far, the best way to find out whether an antivirus program is fake or not would be to look up its name on a search engine followed by the word “fake.” If the results show you removal instructions and sites that confirm that it’s fake, you have the answer to your question. The below image demonstrates how such search results would look.
Feel Like Playing Detective?
If you’ve got other useful hints for detecting fake AVs, let us know in the comments!
Image credit: Antivirus Definition Closeup Showing Computer System Security by BigStockPhoto
Miguel has been a business growth and technology expert for more than a decade and has written software for even longer. From his little castle in Romania, he presents cold and analytical perspectives to things that affect the tech world.
Our latest tutorials delivered straight to your inbox
