G Data Software Provides Free FakeAV Cleaner to Remove Scareware from Infected PCs

Lightweight, Free Tool Rescues Victims of the Most Common Fake Antivirus Programs

DURHAM, NC – May 16, 2011 – G Data Software, one of the world’s first antivirus providers, is offering G Data FakeAV Cleaner to help Internet users protect against fake antivirus programs, also referred to as scareware. Available to all PC users, this free tool cleans Windows systems that are infected with fake antivirus programs belonging to the System Tool family.

Users can unwittingly infect their PC’s by clicking on seemingly real pop-up notifications that warn the PC’s operating system is infected and needs to be scanned. Concerned by the alert, the victim is then invited to install a free trial antivirus software on their computer, which is actually a malicious program. Once the fake software is installed, the victim's operating system is no longer under their control and any action taken produces a false security alert demanding that the user buy a complete version of the fake antivirus program. The user’s credit card and banking information is then stolen and the PC itself is generally integrated into a botnet.

"The development and deployment of scareware has become a highly profitable business. The recent Lizamoon attack which has infected several thousand web servers with the aim of offering fake antivirus software to surfers is a good example,” said Ed Johnson, senior vice president, G Data Software. “In the past 15 months, there has been a 35 percent increase in the presence of fake antivirus programs, which do not offer any actual protection and can be potentially dangerous to users.”

It is virtually impossible to remove a scareware program from a system without a tool since the malicious code blocks all attempts of manual removal with System Tool. The G Data FakeAV Cleaner helps users easily remove these programs from the system with a single click. Cleaning an infected system takes just four steps:

1) Download G Data FakeAV Cleaner from the G Data website: https://www.gdata.de/?eID=PushFile&dl=1a60458cc9%3AAFIIDQM%3D
2) If downloaded on a different system than the currently infected one, the setup file must be transferred to the affected system.
3) Run the G Data FakeAV Cleaner setup file. The file is named "svchost.exe".
4) Reboot the computer to finalize the installation.

** Existing G Data customers are already protected against scareware attacks with the company’s security products. G Data FakeAVCleaner allows users without sufficient security protection to automatically clean their infected PCs.

About G Data Software, Inc.
Founded in 1985, G Data Software is one of the world’s first antivirus providers, with offices and distribution in more than 80 countries worldwide. The company provides proven enterprise and consumer security solutions, including antivirus, anti-spyware, anti-phishing, and firewall software. In addition to products, G Data Software runs a world-class malware research lab, G Data Security Labs, which monitors and analyzes current computing threats on a global basis, partnering with organizations, governments and nonprofits to fulfil a variety of needs. The company has recently established operations in North America, located in the heart of Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. For more information on G Data Software, its products, or Security Labs, visit www.gdata-software.com.

G Data Software, Inc.
2530 Meridian Parkway, Suite 300
Durham, North Carolina 27713

Press contacts
G Data Software
Eric Seymour / Aarti Shah
Phone: 617-960-9856 / 9878
Email: gdata@marchpr.com
Web: www.gdata-software.com

This release was published on openPR.