We must all be aware that a very
popular and effective tactic currently used to spread malware is the
offering of fake updates to popular programs needed to view or
play common web content. Examples include the Adobe Flash Player and
various video players or web browser plug-ins. Suspicious or
malicious web sites (sometimes not recognized as such) may offer
desirable content that prompts the user to install updated viewer /
player software. Sometimes legitimate web sites get infiltrated and
have their pages altered with links that trick the user into
accepting malware. Such offered updates may be fake and are designed
to install malware.
Last year one of my family members
tried to view a Star Trek video clip on a web site, which advised
that an updated video player was needed. Upon downloading the
supposed player update, a pop-up box advised that Antivirus 2010 had
detected virus infections on the PC and that an update was needed to
remove them. The update would require a credit card payment to
proceed. Fortunately my family member went no further. I was able to
remove the bogus Antivirus 2010 that was the actual malware.
This morning's roundtable discussion
with my friends mentioned a Flash Player Pro update obtained from a
web site that carried malware to the user's computer. A quick search
on Google reveals that many instances of fake Flash Player
programs or updates are lurking on the web.
If you believe that you need a
particular viewer update, it is best to visit the original
publishers' web sites rather than trust links on some content
provider's web site. Some examples include:
http://java.com/en/
-- click on Free Java Download
http://www.adobe.com/ -- click on Download and choose Adobe Reader
http://www.adobe.com/ -- click on Download and choose Adobe Reader
http://www.adobe.com/
-- click on Download and choose Adobe Flash Player
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/default.aspx
– go to the Download section
Note that Java and Flash are very
popular current targets for malware distributors.
Installed anti-virus programs may
not catch the malware that an unsuspecting user downloads from a
web site. Some reasons for this failure are:
- Anti-virus programs rely mainly on profiles or signatures of discovered malware. Newly-developed malware may not be detected using current profiles.
- Anti-virus profiles must be updated frequently. Delays in updating can leave vulnerabilities to certain malware.
- Independent testing has not shown any antivirus program to be 100% effective.
- Malware programs are becoming more effective at evading detection.
You may want to go to
http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/online/
and run the Online Scanner to check your PC(s) for outdated software
that has security vulnerabilities. This runs a Java applet to
perform the scan.
Here are two web sites that can enhance your understanding of many facets of online security:
Take care!
