The Virus Protection That Is The Virus

Rogue security software tricks you by claiming your computer is infected with a virus. It then sells you a fake tool to fix it, which actually installs the very malware you were trying to avoid.

This form of digital extortion relies on fear rather than sophisticated coding to trick victims. By masquerading as legitimate antivirus protection, these programs convince people to hand over their credit card information and voluntarily install malicious software. These attacks became a major epidemic around 2008 and remain a common trap today. Always be wary of urgent pop-ups warning you about phantom system threats.