Rogue anti-virus malware infections have decreased overall and are affecting fewer victims, but the threat still remains, according to researchers.
New rogue anti-virus software, such as Rogue:Win31/Defru, is picking up in the absence of older, comparable threats, according to a Microsoft blog post.
As opposed to older tactics, Defru, which primarily targets Russian speakers and attaches itself to the Windows registry allowing it to persist at reboot, leverages the hosts file in order to redirect victims to a bogus web page. Once redirected, a phony Microsoft security message alerts users that a full scan needs to be performed to access legitimate websites.
Frustrated victims are then prompted to pay for the scan, which will allow them to access the blocked sites. However, even if they pay, no malware is removed from the system.