If you've been online recently, you've seen them. It can come in an e-mail, an ad or a pop-up and it warns of danger. It says your computer is under attack from a virus.

And there's a free solution. Just run their virus scan.

You do it. The scan inevitably finds plenty of problems with your computer that need immediate attention and for $40, you can buy their product and solve it.

But the Federal Trade Commission warns many times, there was no virus and no problem with your computer. And the program you installed may cause it's own trouble.

The FTC says these so-called "security alerts" can look official, like they came from your computer. But actually con artists created them.

Posted by Justin Payton in Adware, Spyware and Trojans at 17:55

Users of popular file-sharing websites: Your next pirated download might be your last. That appears to be the intention of the Downloading is Wrong virus that has spread on some torrent portals.

When a user downloads and launches an infected file, portions of the Windows system's code, called hosts files, are modified; they block access to piracy hubs Mininova, the Pirate Bay and the Suprbay message board. Then, a series of pop-ups begin to fill the screen and a sound file is activated that says, "Downloading is wrong," according to BitTorrent blog TorrentFreak.

Some pointed fingers at MediaDefender, a Santa Monica company that distributes fake music and video files on file-sharing websites to deter piracy. But many signs indicate the culprit is simply an anonymous prankster.

Posted by Justin Payton in Adware, Spyware and Trojans at 16:47

Christmas gifts of Samsung Digital Picture frames could come with the unwelcome gift of malware, Amazon has warned.

The online retailer cautioned that versions of Samsung's SPF-85H 8-Inch digital photo frame product came with an installer disc contaminated with the Sality worm. The disc is needed to use the kit as a USB monitor on windows XP machines. Users who instal the software are liable to find themselves infected with a strain of malware that includes keylogging functionality.

Posted by Justin Payton in Adware, Spyware and Trojans at 10:12