McAfee Fake Alert Stinger

Fake-alert software, also called fake AV or rogue anti-virus software, is malware that masquerades as a legitimate security application. These threats employ social engineering tactics to trick users into purchasing and installing malicious products. Once installed, a system scan appears to run and subsequently claims that the machine is infected. During the fake scan several other nefarious activities occur in the background, including the disabling of legitimate security applications.

In our efforts to provide the best protection and support to our customers against this family of malware, we have strengthened our Fake Alert Stinger, which detects and remediates fake-alert threats. This version introduces two features that help in the rapid resolution of infections from fake alerts. These features are accessible from the Preferences dialog box.