Huge Decline in Fake AV Following Credit Card Processing Shakeup
Summary: McAfee reported a more than 60 percent decrease in customers reporting fake antivirus detections since late May, following a shakeup in credit card processing that disrupted many top fake AV distribution programs. Fake AV bombards victim PCs with misleading security alerts and hijacks the machine until the user pays for bogus software, with criminal hackers earning $25-35 each time a victim provides a credit card number.
Bottom line: The scam's economics depended on $25-35 per victim payment, and cutting off credit card processing removed the payout that sustained distribution - a reminder that payment rails, not just malware signatures, can determine whether a criminal business keeps operating.
Read the original at Krebs on Security ↗
- Topics
- Data Breaches
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