You know what a “œscareware” is? It’s those fake popups you somtimes get from your browser telling you that your computer is infected by malwares and trojans so you need to download a software. That software is a “œscareware” and downloading and running it will further cause problems to your system. Something like the Antivirus 2009:
Looks pretty convincing no? And I won’t be surprised if those people who are not internet savvy like my dad fall victim into such traps. The problem with “œscarewares” is that it is pretty difficult to remove because usually, real AntiVirus software cannot distinguish between a user-installed program and a “œscareware”.
This is why one of the leading internet security companies out there, Norton, created a rescue tools just for these types of crimewares.
The Norton Power Eraser eliminates deeply embedded and difficult to remove crimeware that traditional virus scanning doesn’t always detect. Download it and store it on your USB disk just in case you need to do a quick fix on your dad’s machine.
There’s a caveat though from Norton when using the Power Eraser:
Because the Norton Power Eraser uses aggressive methods to detect these threats, there is a risk that it can select some legitimate programs for removal. You should use this tool very carefully, and only after you have exhausted other options.
They also have a Bootable Recovery Tool in case you don’t know how to create a bootable disc/USB for your system which I believe every household with a PC should have.