Dodgy program advertised on MSN Messenger
Banner advertisements for a security application said to report false or inflated threats appeared for at least a few days on Microsoft’s instant messaging (IM) program, prompting warnings from security analysts. Microsoft appears to have removed the ads, which were displayed in the contacts panel for its IM program, Windows Live Messenger, said Sandi Hardmeier, a Microsoft Most Valued Professional, a designation the company gives to people who have expertise with its products. The progam, known as Winfixer, falsely warns a computer has been infected with malicious software, according to Symantec. It asks users to buy a program to remove the unwanted software. “Quite often, it reports files that are perfectly safe,” Hardmeier said. “It uses a lot of false positives. Basically, it’s a rip off.”
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