We thought the rogue security software trend went down this year, but in truth we are witnessing two new reported incidents by users and customers of rogues.

Total Defense Internet Security Intelligence Team has just identified a new prevalent family of rogue security software recently perceived.
The most notable threat representing the new family is the nasty pest known as "Smart Fortress 2012".

According to data obtained, in only one month we have seen an impressive number of reported incidents which, in terms of numbers, translates into almost 7,000 issues.

This parasite software, once executed, prevents almost all executables from running (Figure 1):

Figure 1 – Executables blocked

It blocks every application from running, like browsers, TaskManager and disables every security application installed on the computer (Figure 2):

Figure 2 – Registry entries compromised

It looks like malware authors have spent lots of time developing this kind of software to make it so real to convince people to pay for disinfection:

Figure 3 – Request of activation of Smart Fortress 2012

Figure 4 – Smart Fortress 2012 Fake Warning

Figure 5 – Smart Fortress 2012 Fake Firewall Alert

Figure 6 – Purchase page

The approach of the authors of the rogue software is still the same, but this time more sophisticated and scary.
Total Defense Security products block the malware from landing on users’ PCs, detecting it and providing the best protection against it.
Since we are seeing a lot of new variants created on a daily basis we strongly suggest keeping your security solution up to date.