Tips to Identify and Avoid Fake Antispyware Software

The Internet has made our lives easier but it comes with a few curses too. While the Internet has changed the way we do business and share things, it has also led to online frauds and crimes. When you download or purchase a product online, you can never be 100% percent certain of its authenticity until you actually use the product or service yourself. This is because the Internet has become the new frontier for criminals who find it easier to cheat people and cause damage to them due to its sheer reach to millions of users. One unique way of gaining illegal access to your computer that is used by cyber criminals is to create fake antispyware or antivirus programs that are actually malicious software.

To prevent yourself from becoming a victim of these rogue antispyware tools, it is essential for you to learn how to differentiate between a fake antispyware and a real antispyware program. Here are some useful tips to help you identify a fake antispyware program.

Uses Scare Tactics

Fake antispyware software displays fake spyware alerts on your computer and frightens you into purchasing its full version. These alerts claim that the only way to get rid of spyware from your system is to perform a full system scan using a paid version of the recommended fake spyware tool. Such rogue tools, also known as scareware, never provide any protection against spyware. What they actually do is scam you out of money and install additional spyware onto your computer.

Uses Pressure Marketing

If scaring you is not enough, the promoters of these fake antispyware programs also bombard you with aggressive marketing campaigns to force you into buying their protection software. The most aggressive rogue antispyware programs will hijack your web browser and force you to their associated websites and make it impossible for you to access any other websites.

Looks Similar to Genuine Antispyware Programs

To make it difficult for an innocent computer user to identify them, fake antispyware programs have an interface that looks quite similar to popular, legitimate, and well-known antispyware programs. In addition, these fake antispyware programs illegally use official Windows logos to make themselves look more legit. If you don't know how to distinguish between the two, you can easily fall into the rogue antispyware's malicious trap and cause damage to your computer.

Performs Extremely Poor Scanning and Reporting

If you fall prey to the tactics used by these tools and end up buying fake antispyware software, you can immediately identify it to be a fake when it automatically scans your PC and displays the final results. First, a legitimate antispyware tool will never scan your system without your permission. Next, you will notice that the displayed results are quite general and do not give out any specific information related to the detected infections. Finally, you may notice that the software conveniently skips several essential files and folders from the scanning process.

Causes More Problems on Your Computer

Instead of cleaning spyware from your computer, rogue software further infects your PC by downloading and installing additional malicious programs onto your computer. The additional malicious programs will further slow down your computer and make it unstable.

Now that you know how to identify a fake antispyware program, it is essential for you to know how to choose the best antispyware for your computer. One of the best ways to identify genuine antispyware software is to have a look at various user and expert reviews on the Internet. In general, a simple Internet search will tell you whether particular software is genuine or not. A good antispyware tool will perform a thorough scanning of your computer with your permission only and will categorize the results on the basis of their severity levels.

As a vigilant user, it is essential for you to identify the difference between a fake antispyware and a genuine antispyware program. Whereas a fake tool will scare and force you into buying it, a genuine tool gains its popularity through positive user reviews, genuine scanning, and reporting features.