Spyware blackmails victims

Glendale (CA) - Panda Software said that it has detected a new spyware program that promises free access to pornographic websites, but installs malware - which only is removed in exchange of a $50 payment.

Malware trends have shown commercial trends for some time and sometimes can result in more than just headaches and the necessary purchase of a comprehensive security software suite. DigiKeyGen is yet another example, which tricks users by promising free access to pornographic web content, but installs spyware instead.

That spyware - and an alleged anti-spyware application - are secretly loaded onto a user's computer. The software is nice enough to inform the user that the system has been infected with spyware and that there is an anti-spyware program that can remove it - for a $50 fee. According to Panda, DigiKeyGen can be downloaded from a number of websites.

The most effective protection from such threats remains common sense. "You must always be suspicious of offers for something in exchange for almost nothing," warned Luis Corrons, director of Panda software labs. "Cybercrime, which aims to make easy money, simply applies traditional fraud techniques to the Internet. As a result, anybody tempted by the chance to get something for nothing is taken in, unaware of the risks of apparently harmless actions, such as downloading small programs or accessing certain websites."

However, if you were tricked into the download of software such as DigiKeyGen, Panda offers a tool to scan a computer free of charge.