It is a reality that when browsing the Internet we can run into multiple threats that put our systems at risk. We talk about many types of viruses, varieties of malware, ransomware … Now, not all the alerts that we find where they tell us that something is wrong, really are true. Sometimes we may come across false virus and malware warnings that are a problem. We will explain how to detect them and what to do to avoid them.
What are fake malware alerts
It is relatively common that when browsing the Internet, either from a computer or mobile device, an alert message appears saying that something is wrong. It is usually a popup window, dialog box or banner on the site itself. It tells us that our computer has a virus and that it should be analyzed.
The thing is, these alerts are actually false. They are simply a hook for the victim to click and end up on a website controlled by the attackers. A strategy to steal information, offer malicious software, and ultimately compromise security and privacy.
As we say, this can appear when browsing from any device . Sometimes if this problem appears to us, it may be because we already have malware on our computer, that site is insecure or has suffered an attack.
How to detect these false alerts
Fortunately, detecting these false alerts, or also known as scareware , is usually quite simple. They generally display very striking messages, with bright colors and alert symbols to capture our attention. They can be pop-ups that appear, advertisements while browsing and sometimes even alert sounds.
The first option to detect it is simply visual . We are browsing and we find an alert message that tells us that our team has suffered an attack or is in danger.
We can easily detect that it is not our antivirus by seeing that it comes from the browser, that the dialog box is actually a pop-up window and that it is quite possibly in another language. We will also notice the message itself, where we will clearly see that it is an attempt to deceive by not offering much data beyond that our team is in danger or that we download software to fix it.
Sometimes they may appear to be a system alert. This means that they will pretend to be an alert message from our operating system, such as Windows for example.
How to avoid problems with these fake malware alerts
It is very important that we never interact with these alerts in any way. We should never click on the alert messages that appear to us, nor download any software that they tell us, nor fill in any data in case they ask us to. It is essential that we ignore these messages and if possible close the windows or dialog boxes (sometimes they will be integrated into a website that we visit).
It is also important to have security tools to avoid problems. A good antivirus can prevent the entry of malware that compromises our system. If we have received false alerts of this type, it can sometimes be because we previously had malware. Therefore it will be important to prevent the entry of malicious software.
Something fundamental is to have the latest versions . Our operating system, the tools we use, must have the patches and updates that are available. In this way we can correct possible vulnerabilities that may be exploited to attack.
But common sense will also be necessary. Normally, if these false ads appear to us, it is because we have entered an insecure site. Perhaps we have even clicked on a link that may be problematic. It is very important that we do not make mistakes when surfing the web and that we do not expose our data in any way when accessing sites that may be dangerous.