It is actually a Trojan horse aiming to harm your computer

Jan 7, 2008 21:06 GMT  ·  By

I bet you first thought I was talking about a real antivirus... You know, that software application especially created to discover and block harmful files... But AlfaAntivirus is not that kind of program, it is actually a fake antivirus solution that wants to trick people and make them believe they are installing a security product. Instead of protecting the computer, it shows numerous popup advertisements and fake security warnings, in order to convince the user to buy the full version of the "antivirus". That's right, just like hundreds of rogue anti-spyware technologies spotted in the last few months.

"AlfaAntivirus is a fake antivirus program / Trojan combination that may install itself through other Trojan programs or through browser security holes. AlfaAntivirus launches on Windows startup and may generate excessive popup advertisements", SpywareRemove.com wrote in a security notification published today.

"It will also display notifications of imaginary security risks in its attempts to get the user to purchase the full version. This program can be extremely difficult to remove manually, and will continue to try to recreate itself. The Trojan associated with this program may also download and install a large number of additional Trojans."

As it is mentioned in the advisory, the infection is pretty difficult to remove and you may get some headaches trying to disinfect your computer. That's why you're advised to always avoid downloading suspicious security applications that may attempt to damage the data stored on your computer. In case you think that AlfaAntivirus may be installed on the system, you can try searching the hard-drives for 'alfaantivirus' and see if you get anything.

Instead of installing such a dangerous security application, you can always choose a legitimate one that may really protect your computer. For example, you can choose from the ones listed on Softpedia available on this link.