What is scareware

Get it for Mac , PC , Android. Scareware is a malware scam technique that uses pop-up security alerts and other social engineering tricks to frighten you into paying for fake software disguised as real cybersecurity protection. Scareware may be useless bloatware and relatively harmless, or in worse cases, actual malware.

Posing as warnings from antivirus software companies, scareware notifications use social engineering fear tactics to convince people that supposedly critical malware infections need to be urgently resolved. After tricking victims into paying for the scam software, scareware often then infects them with the very same type of malware it had promised to remove.

The first indication of scareware is a barrage of notifications or banners appearing on your screen. These fake antivirus pop-ups are designed to cause panic by warning you about urgent security breaches — probably with all-caps text and lots of exclamation points. Legitimate cybersecurity companies will never use such invasive fear-mongering tactics to promote their products.

In fact, the more dramatic and persistent these alerts are, the more likely they are to be scareware. So even if you identify scareware only after the fact, you should act immediately. Every minute you wait exposes you to further vulnerabilities and increases the risk of identity theft. The most common scareware examples are all some variation of the classic virus removal scam. An example of the kind of notification you might see in a scareware attack.

Sometimes these computer virus pop-ups will even misrepresent themselves as coming from your operating system, or another trusted source. The Google virus alert scam is one such tactic used to scare people into downloading malware. An example of a scareware notification designed to look like a real Google alert. Lots of online ads use the same trick. If you accidentally download scareware, you may get a program that looks and acts like a real antivirus tool at first glance. But in reality, the sham software is always a total dud, offering zero protection against real cyber-threats.

Instead, scareware apps are often malware in disguise, seeding your machine with computer viruses or spyware that corrupt your files and leave you wide open to credit card fraud and identity theft. Deleting the download is a good place to start with scareware removal, but you may miss more stubborn programs or files left behind by the malware. Since the scareware will be hiding in plain sight as an apparently legitimate antivirus program, identifying and uninstalling the offending download should be fairly straightforward.

Type control panel into your Windows search box, then select Control Panel from the results. Locate the unwanted program in the Applications category of your Finder window. Click and drag it to the Trash, or right-click and select Move to Trash. Next, restart your computer in Safe Mode with Networking so that you can install malware tools without exposing your computer to further threats.

Restart the computer via the Power button in the Start menu, making sure you hold the Shift button as you click Restart.

Once your computer restarts, select Troubleshoot on the advanced reboot options menu. Shut down your device as normal and wait 10 seconds. When you restart your Mac, immediately press and hold the Shift key until the log-in screen appears. Once in Safe Mode, you can safely download legitimate malware removal tools to find and remove residual scareware files.

On a mobile device, use dedicated malware removal software for Android , or an iPhone virus scanner. Install Avast Free Antivirus and run a full virus scan to clean out any other malware on your device.

You can also schedule a boot-time scan to run when you restart your computer. But what causes scareware is all the same — scare tactics. Also known as deception software, rogue scanner software, or fraudware, scareware generally works like this:.

Bottom line : No one wants to be a victim of scareware. You can face those fears head-on by familiarizing yourself with the following tell-tale scareware signs:. Here are a few common signs scareware is downloaded on your devices:.

And in case your scareware suspicion has turned to certainty, you should probably invest in a third-party solution to remove it entirely.

But, first, consider following these scareware removal steps for Macs and PCs. For safe measure, you might want to restart your computer in Safe Mode with Networking, which means it will only use essential programs to run.

At this time, you can install antivirus or anti-malware solutions. Select the scareware from the list of applications, then drag it to your trash can. For safe measure, you might want to go into Safe Mode on your Mac, too. To do that, restart your device and hold the shift key until the log-in screen pop-ups. This allows your Mac to use only essential programs so that you can ideally uninstall any malicious software or download antivirus software.

When it comes to scareware, the ideal scenario is that you never get it from the start. Fortunately, a bit of common sense can go a long way in preventing scareware attacks, as well as the following best practices:.

Sure, scareware can be, well, pretty scary. However, if you approach your online interactions with a Cyber Safe mindset, you can avoid these types of cyber threats to the fullest. All rights reserved. Firefox is a trademark of Mozilla Foundation. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc. Alexa and all related logos are trademarks of Amazon. Scareware is malware that attempts to scare users into thinking their device has been infected with a virus and then encourages them to quickly download a program to fix it.

It usually warns users that their device has a dangerous file or risky content and then offers a solution that will remove the threat. It aims to convince users to download software from a provider they have never heard of. Ransomware is a type of malware that, when downloaded, encrypts files on a device or locks a device completely. The attacker will then demand payment or a ransom from the victim, promising to unlock the data or device once the transaction has been completed.

Scareware can be removed using a software tool that removes malware and all signs of a virus infection. The original antivirus software that was bypassed or disabled by the scareware also needs to be re-installed and patched.

Scareware is typically used to download malicious software onto a computer. Telltale signs that a virus is present on a device include receiving lots of unwanted pop-up ads or error messages, unexpected freezes, crashes, or restarts, icons unexpectedly appearing on the desktop, sudden device or file lockouts, a computer suddenly running slowly, and web browsers being set to a new homepage or having new toolbars. Reputable software providers and antivirus vendors do not use scare tactics to force users into downloading their programs.

So a good rule of thumb is that any software ad that sounds malicious or threatening and attempts to scare the user into downloading it should be avoided. Skip to content Skip to navigation Skip to footer. Scareware Contact Us. What is Scareware? Scareware Ads and Pop-ups. How to Protect Yourself from Scareware? Scareware Removal. Examples of Scareware. How Fortinet Can Help.