Phony Security Software Cleared from 1 Million PCs

According to Microsoft, the November release of its Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT) removed the phony security software, Win32/FakeSecSen, from 994,061 distinct machines in just nine days: MSRT Review on Win32/FakeSecSen Rogues. Win32/FakeSecSen is a family of programs that claim to scan for malware and display fake warnings of “malicious programs and viruses”. These programs attempt to force users to pay to remove the “threats” they found. Some of them attempt (illegally) to look official by impersonating Microsoft products using names such as “Antivirus XP”, “AntivirusXP 2008”, “WinDefender 2008”, “XP Antivirus”, or similar.

My experience with a couple of these rogues has shown that they are relatively easy to remove. Microsoft’s Windows Defender and Malware Bytes’ Anti-Malware both do a good job of removing the pest.