McAfee Researchers Spot Malware Posing as Antivirus: Win 8 Security System

A new rogue antivirus tool by the name of “Win 8 Security System” is infecting computers via websites rigged with drive-by-downloads and tainted torrent files, according to antivirus firm McAfee.

Like any other fake antivirus, Win 8 Security System performs fake “system scans” and produces a list of false malware detections in an attempt to scare the user into purchasing protection and/or malware removal services.

Any reluctance to hand over payment information will be met with constant, authentic-looking alerts reminding the user that their system has been “compromised.”

Virus Infection!

System security was found to be compromised, Your computer is now infected. Attention, irreversible changes may occur. Private data may be stolen.

Click here now for an instant anti-virus scan.

Getting Win 8 Security System off your computer can be a bit of a pain as it comes with a rootkit to protect its files, but legitimate antivirus programs should be able to remove it. If that fails, a manual removal of Win 8 Security System is possible, but should only be carried out by experienced users (IT specialists or highly qualified system admins).

A botched malware cleanup job can lead to permanent damage to the infected machine, not to mention that there’s a good chance the malware would automatically repair itself if it’s not completely removed.

But enough about getting it off of your system..

Keeping Your PC “Win 8 Security System” Free

How can you prevent Win 8 Security System from even making it on your PC? McAfee offered some advice, and we've thrown in a few pointers too:

• Disable Java plug-ins in your browser.


• Protecting your PC with a legitimate antivirus solution with real-time protection enabled.


• Keep your operating system & installed software (especially Adobe Flash & Acrobat, along with Java) patched & up-to-date.


• Exercise caution when following links and do not download files from unknown or untrusted sources.

[via McAfee Labs]

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