Wednesday 20 January 2010

Windows Defender 2010 scam (Removal tips)

Windows Defender 2010 is a fake antivirus program. Don’t confuse it with Windows Defender – the legitimate anti-spyware application from Microsoft. Cyber criminals purposely use similar names to mislead users, so don’t be fooled. Windows Defender 2010 is a typical scareware. It displays fake security alerts to scare you into paying for it. It simulates a system scan and blocks legitimate anti-virus software in order to protect itself from being removed. Besides, it uses browser hijacking and other misleading tactics to achieve its goals. The most important thing to remember is that all this Windows Defender 2010 thing is a scam. Don't purchase it and remove this virus from your computer as soon as possible. In case your PC is already infected, please use one of the legitimate anti-spyware applications listed below:


NOTE: if you can't download or install the above programs in Normal Mode, reboot your PC in Safe Mode with Networking. Also several people told that they did a system restore and successfully removed this infection. However, even then you should still scan your PC with at least one reliable anti-spyware or anti-virus program.

The official website of Windows Defender looks like this:



Whereas Windows Defender 2010 associated websites are:
  • win-def-2010.com
  • windowsdefender-10.com
  • windows-defender10.com
And the fake websites look like this (use the same web template):



As you can see, the scammers use Microsoft colors and security shield logo as well as logos of well knows and trusted security related websites such as virusbtn.com. The goal is very clear – to make those scam websites look more reliable when the rogue program Windows Defender 2010 will be spread using various fake online scanners and bogus websites (we hope that won’t happen). Currently this virus is not active or actively promoted. Keep your computer protected from such malware. Make sure that you use updated anti-virus software. We will keep an eye on this virus and provide more information (removal instructions), so stay tuned.

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