What is a Fake AntiVirus?

FakeAV or Fake AntiVirus, also known as Rogue AntiVirus, Rogues, or ScareWare, is a class of malware that displays false alert messages to the victim concerning threats that do not really exist. These alerts will prompt users to visit a website where they will be asked to pay for these non-existent threats to be cleaned up. The FakeAV will continue to send these annoying and intrusive alerts until a payment is made.

This paper provides insight into where FakeAV comes from, what happens when a system is infected with FakeAV, and how users can protect themselves from FakeAV.