If it can happen on a respected and well-run website like the New York Times, it can
probably happen on any website. Basically, when you clicked on what appeared to be an
ad from a major company on the Times website, a pop-up that looked like an online
virus scan for your computer showed up. Once done, the scan told you that there was
something seriously wrong infecting your computer, and then tried to sell you
antivirus downloads. If you bit, you’d discover that you just paid them good money,
and gave them your credit card information on top, for what was in reality a virus.
It’s a real headache this kind of malicious method of getting you to download harmful
software online. The ruse works well with people who aren’t that well-informed about
how to stay safe on the Internet, of course. But it can well get anyone to absently
click on it. How do you stay safe from malicious anti virus downloads like these
then?
To begin with, it may not be entirely safe to merely click the Cancel button when it
offers to sell you top anti virus downloads. The Cancel button may well actually be
maliciously labeled that way. It could actually be an Okay button in disguise. The
best thing to do there would be to close your browser altogether, to go to your
browser cache that has lots of files in temporary storage that websites place store
for quick page rendering, and then empty it out. If you are on Internet Explorer for
instance, you can achieve this by clicking Tools, and then Delete Browsing History.
Afterwards, you can run a scan with the antivirus software you hopefully have
installed on your computer, and then restart your computer just to be on the safe
side.
They call these drive-by scareware. You click the Scan button or the Buy Software
button, and it just installs a Trojan or something on your computer to keep scaring
you from time to time. It does that to be able to install more viruses on your
computer and to get your credit card information.
Buying drive-by top anti virus downloads is a bad idea anyway. Antivirus is supposed
to be a carefully considered purchase, and buying from any of the major names is the
best way to go. Make sure that you install your antivirus from a store-bought disc,
and not a download. And make sure that when you do install it, that you are
disconnected from the Internet. You should make sure that you don’t get hit by some
viruses that prevent you from downloading any antivirus. In general, using anything
less recent than the latest version of your pick of browser is a bad idea too. Of all
the browsers out there, Google’s Chrome is certified the safest, and if you are using
Internet Explorer using it with its Protected mode turned on makes it the safest.