Fake AV software redirects users to bogus reviews
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A concerning new trend in fake Anti-Virus software is emerging. When a hapless victim downloads the fake app a series of bogus entries are entered into the victims Hosts file.
These entries, in actuality point to malicious sites controlled by the programmers responsible for the fake AV. The sites provide the now infected user with glowing reviews and recommendations that the user pull out their wallets and hand over the cash to buy the "full" version of the software.
This nice little "extra" was discovered by the guys over at bleeping computers. They took a look at the host file of a system that had been infected with Anti-Virus-1 (originally to write a removal guide) and found the bogus entries which even included PC Magazine.
Read more here at Bleeping Computers.
By adding these entries into your HOSTS file, it will make it so that if you go to any of the websites listed above, instead of going to the legitimate site, you will instead be redirected to a new site under the control of the developers of Abti-virus-1 and not realize you are doing so. It is not uncommon for malware to add entries into your HOSTS file, but what is new is the content being shown to you when you visit these sites.
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