Spyware Blockers

Spyware Protection Plus Doesn

Spyware Protection Plus is making the rounds. It’s not really spyware protection; it’s another rogue anti-spyware program that makes its bones by tricking infected users into buying useless anti-spyware software.

Once installed, Spyware Protection Plus will run a “spyware scan” each time the user starts the infected computer. The scan will trigger countless pop-up windows that warn of “infections” or security problems discovered on the infected computer. Of course, aside from the Spyware Protection Plus infection, there may be nothing wrong with the computer.

Some users have reported that the Spyware Protection Plus infection is also accompanied by other Trojans and fake anti-malware software. The purpose of the software is to trick an unsuspecting user into buying the “full” version of the software, which is as useless as the freebie version is.

How Can You Tell Fake Anti-Spyware From Real Anti-Spyware?

Spyware Protection Plus isn’t the first rogue spyware program. There are loads of them. But how can you tell the difference between real, effective spyware and their scamware cousins? Here are some things to keep in mind.

There are legitimate software products that provide free spyware scans but don’t remove the offending product. That, by itself, is no indication that the anti-spyware tool you have is fake. A really good indication that you’re dealing with fake spyware is that it begins to run on your computer without you having knowingly installed it. Anything that loads itself is suspect.

“Reports” may not provide much useful information. For example, the “spyware remover” may tell you that it found a specific number of malware programs, but doesn’t tell you which ones. Or it may find “infected files” on your computer, but a check of the directory shows that the suspect files have zero-byte file sizes. It may also identify .exe files that are “malware” but doesn’t identify any corresponding .dll files.

The warning windows may or may not look convincing. They’re often patterned after real anti-spyware products. Look for spelling errors, rough grammar or warnings that “Windows” has detected spyware and will download a spyware removal tool for you. The alert window may not give a “cancel” option, or the cancel option does exactly the same thing as the “OK” option. Your Internet connection may slow to an agonizing pace, or your computer hard drive may be active when it shouldn’t be.

Do Your Research

If you receive security warnings that you suspect are fake, do a little research before you agree to purchase anything. Warnings are often high-pressure sales tactics and urge you to purchase a remedy immediately. Note the wording on the warnings and see if you can find a match among the many known rogue anti-spyware programs. You can also use the Task Manager to disable the rogue program temporarily. While you’re doing research, take a look at XoftSpy SE from Spywareblockers.org.

XoftSpy SE can locate and disable spyware. It removes the offending programs from your computer and makes sure that you don’t get infected again. Don’t take chances with unknown spyware removers, or risk being infected with multiple malware programs. Get XoftSpy SE from Spywareblockers.org for real protection against spyware.

Photo Credit: Sophie