[real-eyes]
- From: "Steve" <kcpadfoot@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <real-eyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2009 15:14:50 -0500
The following is a transcript of Security Now Episode 219
which can be read at:
http://www.grc.com/sn/sn-219.htm
Steve:
Yeah, it really does perfectly. So another little blurb popped up on my radar.
We
didn't have a ton of security news except that I thought our listeners would be
interested
in knowing there was an article both in USA Today and PC World covered a story
that
the scareware industry is becoming more aggressive now. There's a product which
-
well, "product" - badware which is calling itself Total Security 2009. And if
you
do something to get this onto your system by mistake, it now locks out every
other
application on your machine except Internet Explorer. So this is a Windows-based
malware. And no matter what you try to do, if you try to do anything else, you
get
a pop-up with sort of a fake security scan telling you that your system is
infected
with viruses and malware and trojans and scary things. And then the only thing
it
allows you to do is to use IE to go to a site and purchase this thing for
$79.95.
Leo: [Laughing]
Steve:
When you purchase it for - oh, and then there's an extra $19, like, download
insurance
or something. It's like, oh, my goodness.
Leo: But, now, are you purchasing something really valuable, or are you
purchasing
a spyware?
Steve: You're - basically you are succumbing to extortion. You've already got...
Leo: Oh, I see.
Steve: No, this is just to get money.
Leo: It's a fix. Okay.
Steve: Yes, it is just to get money. So...
Leo: So it's a legitimate fix for a problem they caused.
Steve: Well, yes. Although it stays on your system. So it doesn't even...
Leo: Oh, please. It's not even a good fix.
Steve:
It doesn't even remove itself. So but the idea is that it locks you out from
doing
anything else. You can't run antispyware programs.
Leo: Really.
Steve:
You can't do, I mean, yeah. The only thing it lets you run is IE for the
purpose
of purchasing it. It then gives you, if your credit card transaction goes
through
for $79.95, then you get an unlock code which you can give it, which basically
you've
succumbed to the extortion. And then you can run other programs.
Leo: What do they call this virus?
Steve: It's called Total Security 2009.
Leo: Total insecurity.
Steve: Total nightmare. Yeah. And so it's interesting because...
Leo: So is this related to the Antivirus 2009 problem earlier?
Steve:
It's the same genre. And we're seeing more of this. It's sort of a - it's using
social engineering to convince people to some degree, I mean, apparently it says
it's not safe to use anything on your machine, so we're not going to let you do
that.
You have to buy this. And so there, unfortunately, there is a cross-section of
users
in the PC community who, I mean, I've talked to friends who, you know,
non-computer-savvy
friends who say, yeah, I get this popup that says it scanned my computer, and I
have
viruses. It's like, oh, no no no no no.
Leo: Boy, that really is a - that is blackmail. That is...
Steve: It is. It's extortion.
Leo: You can't run any program until you pay them their $80.
Steve: Yup.
Leo: Or $19.95 for the premium support services.
Steve: Exactly.
Leo:
Oh, that is - so, now, do you prevent yourself from getting it in the same way
that
you would any other virus or spyware? This is...
Steve:
Yes. I mean, I'm sure that the good antimalware tools will quickly come up to
speed.
They'll hopefully see this coming in, block it from your computer, prevent you
from
getting this in the first place. But if you get yourself infected somehow, this
is
what it does. Basically it's pay us $80. And until you do, you cannot use your
computer.
Leo: Wow.
Steve:
So watch out for that one. If our listeners, I mean, our listeners are probably
savvy enough not to fall into this trap. But they may have family and friends
that
are not listening to this podcast, so...
Leo: Right. Well, I know I'll get calls on the radio show. Oh, I'll be hearing
about
that one.
Steve: Total Security 2009 is anything but.
Leo: Many of my listeners got bit by the Antivirus 2009. So this is just, yeah.
Steve:
Right. Yeah, it's exactly - it's the same genre. And it's interesting, though.
Again,
it's sort of, I mean, it's not using any social engineering that any of us, any
of
Security Now! listeners would fall for. But it's just confusing enough that it
raises
that doubt. It's not just bringing up a big skull-and-crossbones and saying, hah
hah hah, you must pay. It's like, oh, we're trying to help you. We're going to
help
you get these bad things off your computer. So, yeah, thanks.
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