Microsoft have had a few stabs at developing their own anti-virus software for Windows.
First they developed Windows Defender, then released something called Microsoft Security Essentials. Now, in Windows 10/8.1, they’ve switched back to Windows Defender, which is built into the operating system.
The Microsoft Security Essentials tool was never the best virus checker around but worked on Windows 7-XP.
Independent tests have revealed that Microsoft Security Essentials was frequently out performed by its competitors in terms of how many infections it detected.
But the Microsoft name led to many users installing the tool, since it was from the same company as Windows itself.
Hackers are trading on that name too. A new threat is doing the rounds that offers to install Microsoft Security Essentials on your system.
The threat arrives on your system either as a ‘drive-by’ download when you visit an infected website, or via a third-party installer when you install a program that you want and it offers to install additional software.
But instead, it throws up a fake Blue Screen of Death error message on your system, telling you that you need to ring a premium rate support phone line for assistance.
In fact, there is no error on your system – it’s working fine, but the malware uses some clever tricks to make it look like your PC has crashed. The blue screen that appears looks exactly like the real Windows Blue Screen of Death.
Needless to say, the hackers behind the scam pocket the money made from calling the phone line. What’s more, when you do call the number, they ask you to pay a fee to fix the non-existent problem.
If you come across this problem, do not ring the number! Simply re-boot your PC, then run your regular anti-virus software to remove the infection.
And, if you are offered Microsoft Security Essentials for installation, close the installer and delete the setup file. This software is looking pretty long in the tooth now and there are much better free alternatives available, such as AVG.