subject: My Security Engine: The Little Engine That Couldnt [print this page] For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In terms of every antivirus program, there is a rogue antivirus program counterpart. While legitimate antivirus programs are essential to the safe operation of our computers, rogues can provide us only with a false sense of security.
What is My Security Engine?
Most rogue antivirus programs behave in similar manners, and in fact, they often belong to families. My Security Engine belongs to the same family of rogue viruses as CleanUp Antivirus and Security Master AV. While the sheer number of rogue programs is not good news for computer users, the fact that they typically act almost identically is somewhat of a silver lining because they become relatively easy to recognize. Typically, their most potent tool is pop-ups, which are designed to create the illusion of severe security threats in your system. While they have varying levels of credibility, none offers detection or protection.
How My Security Engine Accesses a Computer
Rogue antivirus programs are like hitchhikers on the internet road. Trojans are the vehicles that pick them up and drive them into your system. Trojans disguise themselves as necessary pieces of software or codecs: for instance, Vundo masks itself in spam email attachments. There is any number of Trojans, and they typically affect free videos, P2P content, and sites featuring adult, social networking, gaming, or trending content.
Following the inundation of pop-ups and false warning scans the rogue produces, many users are convinced there are severe threats. They act, opting to purchase My Security Engine, in an effort to resolve these. Unfortunately, this neither rids the computer of any existing issues, nor protects it from future threats.
Signs that My Security Engine Has Accessed a System
Immediately upon entering your computer, My Security Engine buries itself deep into your system registry to evade detection by your normal security program. After that point, it is able to come out of hiding, so to speak, and it begins to make its presence known. You will typically experience the following:
* Pop-ups. These are ads disguised as warning messages. A typical one reads, Potentially harmful programs have been detected in your system and need to be dealt with immediately. Click here to remove them using My Security Engine. Do not click on these ads: there is no harmful programs in your system other than this rogue antivirus program.
* False security scans. Like the warning messages, these scans indicate that there are several infections in your system and that your security features are disabled. You are urged to activate the program to protect your computer.
* Slow computer function. Rogues divert your system resources for their own use, which results in an overall slow-down.
* Redirects. You will be redirected to rogue sites and urged to purchase My Security Engine.
* New icons on system tray or desktop. Here, too, you will be redirected to rogue sites.
If left in your system, this rogue antivirus program may create security vulnerabilities that allow other forms of malware to enter. This presents its own set of risks and may lead to system instability or data insecurity. To be on the safe side, it is important to remove My Security Engine as soon as possible.
