In particular, rogue security software, also known as scareware, has "increased significantly over the past three periods," according to Microsoft's SIR. Specifically, rogue security software capitalizes on users' fear of cyberattacks by offering antivirus or antispyware that purports to clean up their systems. The attackers often leverage fear tactics delivered via some kind of social engineering to convince users to pay for "full versions" of the offered software that allegedly would protect them from Trojans and other kinds of malware. Often, the solicited software is actually malware that is used to drain bank accounts, steal financial and other critical information or infect computers to incorporate them in a spam-spewing botnet.
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