You Need Protection From pcprotectioncenter2008

Corrupt security programs are an epidemic on the Internet. They lurk in the back alleys and even have storefronts, pretending to be helpful. In all actuality, they’re some of the worst criminal programs you will encounter. Pcprotectioncenter2008 is just one example of many.

The basic low-down on rogue security software is that they infect your computer, tell you that they can help and scam you out of your money. They lurk in infected downloads and at infected websites. You’re most likely to get an infection downloading pirated software and doing peer to peer (P2P) file sharing. Aside from the legal problems of stealing software, Internet piracy has always had a real and present danger of malware infection. If the FBI doesn’t scare you, then viruses, worms, rogue security tools and other spyware should. Free software just isn’t worth it.

The infected websites are another big problem. More often than not, corrupted websites are pornographic or gambling in nature. Sometimes these are linked to legitimate pornographic and gambling sites. Every corrupt security tool has a home page, which target people who are shopping for security tools. Also, infections from one of the other transmission methods will often redirect the user to these sites.

The biggest problem with any of these infected sites is that they are often indistinguishable from legitimate sites, unless the user already has an effective antispyware program installed. That doesn’t always work, though, since the website has to get flagged to be blocked. The fake antispyware home pages are the worst. They have buttons for their “free online scan” or “free trial version.” Many legitimate antispyware sites have these also, so it’s no way to tell them apart. The difference comes when the buttons are clicked on.

Wherever it happens, it takes one click on an infected button to be infected. Immediately, a pop up “warning screen” appears and begins to count what it calls “infected files.” It all moves incredibly fast, and the number of “infected files” rises to a ridiculous level.

Now that you’re good and panicked, it will say that if you download the registered or full version, it can clean up all these infected files. Relax, none of these files are infected; they’re just your temporary files. It’s your browsing history and tracking cookies, which aren’t infected at all.

Supposedly, you have the choice to accept or decline this offer. However, the warning screen won’t go away, and your computer won’t do anything else if you just say, “No.” You are effectively being held hostage by this program. If you give in to their demands and say “Yes,” you will be taken to a screen asking for your credit card information.

Of course, you should never EVER give them your credit card information. For one thing, these programs are more often than not more expensive than legitimate programs. Especially considering that the corruption doesn’t stop at infecting your computer. Now that they have your credit card, they have no reason to not take ALL of your money.