Watch Out for Avira Spam and Error Messages
Avira, the German company that specializes in providing security software solutions for Windows and Mac OS X-powered machines, is warning PC users that they are targeted by a spam campaign which leverages the company’s antivirus software. Malicious site operators are currently sending out spam email messages warning users that a dangerous virus is lurking on the internet; and they are advising the user to download Avira software to protect themselves.
This is of course nothing more than a scam. These spammers do not care about protection your software, nor do they care that Avira is a provider of properly good security software. All they care about is getting you to visit their site (the email comes with a would-be Avira antivirus download link) where you are offered Avira antivirus software, but only after you shell out 96 Euros for an annual subscription to the site. Here’s the kicker: the Avira antivirus they offer is actually free.
“Operators of fraudulent sites are currently sending audacious Spam mails warning of a dangerous virus. In addition, they also recommend that users should protect themselves with antivirus software from Avira. However, if they click on the relevant download button, email recipients looking for protection will find themselves on a fraudulent site rather than on the Avira Website. Here the antivirus software, which is actually available free-of-charge, can only be downloaded after the user has agreed to a subscription with the Website operator for an annual fee of Euro 96. Avira urgently advises against clicking on the links in the Spam mail,” explained Avira in a press release.
Moving on to error messages, users that are running Avira AntiVir 8 on their Vista SP1-powered machine should know that the Security Center recently started to use a new mechanism that reports the status of the antivirus software to the operating system. The thing is that Avira AntiVir 8 on Vista SP1 and the new Security Center mechanism are not quite compatible – consequently you may get error messages informing you that the antivirus software is not working properly. This issue can be remedied by upgrading to Avira AntiVir 9. The upgrade is provided free of charge, explained Avira.
This is of course nothing more than a scam. These spammers do not care about protection your software, nor do they care that Avira is a provider of properly good security software. All they care about is getting you to visit their site (the email comes with a would-be Avira antivirus download link) where you are offered Avira antivirus software, but only after you shell out 96 Euros for an annual subscription to the site. Here’s the kicker: the Avira antivirus they offer is actually free.
“Operators of fraudulent sites are currently sending audacious Spam mails warning of a dangerous virus. In addition, they also recommend that users should protect themselves with antivirus software from Avira. However, if they click on the relevant download button, email recipients looking for protection will find themselves on a fraudulent site rather than on the Avira Website. Here the antivirus software, which is actually available free-of-charge, can only be downloaded after the user has agreed to a subscription with the Website operator for an annual fee of Euro 96. Avira urgently advises against clicking on the links in the Spam mail,” explained Avira in a press release.
Moving on to error messages, users that are running Avira AntiVir 8 on their Vista SP1-powered machine should know that the Security Center recently started to use a new mechanism that reports the status of the antivirus software to the operating system. The thing is that Avira AntiVir 8 on Vista SP1 and the new Security Center mechanism are not quite compatible – consequently you may get error messages informing you that the antivirus software is not working properly. This issue can be remedied by upgrading to Avira AntiVir 9. The upgrade is provided free of charge, explained Avira.
