SmitFraud is a kind of fake spyware with a malicious intent to trick users to purchase its bogus anti-virus program. This malware (malicious spyware) is a carrier of error prompts that disturbs the display screen by giving warnings about the presence of multiple, serious infections in the computer system.
How it Finds its Way to Your Computer
SmitFraud’s way of contaminating your computer is intractable. SmitFraud will install itself into the computer without any notice to the user. This Trojan is mostly distributed along with a codec name. A codec is a program used to reduce large movie files so the computer can easily play them. SmitFraud infects the computer by disguising itself as a codec download.
Detecting the Infection
It plays a trick on the settings especially the display. Sometimes, it says the system cannot function well because it is infected. Some users will scan with the first spyware tool that pops up, and it is usually this adware that installs SmitFraud. Picking this adware will then cause more problems in the whole system.
Once it is installed in the computer, this malware will begin to show pop-ups and issue alarms that the system has many errors. It may show as a blinking page above the page you are browsing, and cannot be easily closed or exited. The pop-ups will show a long list of infections it has supposedly found. In addition to that, this blinking page will be persistent in urging the user to purchase the anti-virus program it offers.
What You’re Getting
The price can range from $15 for the “basic version” and costs more for the “advanced version”. SmitFraud promises to clear the computer of the worms, Trojans, and other viruses that make the system crawl. When you detect something like this in your computer, remove it immediately. It is recommended to run the computer system with a full scan using a reliable anti-spyware.
The Affected Operating Systems
SmitFraud is known to affect almost all the newer versions of Windows. It includes Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, 2003, and XP. It can cause a serious breach on the security of the computer. It especially affects the WININET.DLL file and by tampering the .dll file, it can access any page that you have visited in the Internet.