Antivirus XP 2008 may steal your money! Like the rest of the Antivirus 2008 Trojan family and many other fraudware programs such as XP Defender, Antivirus XP 2008 is a faux piece of anti-virus software that can open up your bank account to criminals!

Many people who have purchased the "upgraded" versions of these programs later found that they had been billed not once but twice. This second time was often at a higher rate, by the same company that billed them for the "upgrade".

But it gets even more complicated. The billing address is in MOSCOW, and we're not talking Moscow, Idaho. Cyber-criminals living in Russia are the ones who have done this--and you can't bring the Better Business Bureau to bear on them!

If this shows up on your computer, don't buy the paid version--and make sure and get some real antivirus software to get rid of Antivirus XP 2008!

SpyZooka is a popular anti-spyware solution made by Blue Penguin software. It has been around for several years now and has always had a good reputation as a good way to clean your system of spyware.

It did get a bad rap at first because it wasn't very stable, but those issues have long since been taken care of. If it's been a while since you've checked out Spyzooka, it might be time to do so again!

It only takes up about 5MB of storage space and can run a complete system scan in about 15 minutes. Like Grisoft's AVG, it uses very little CPU resources when scanning, and next to none when in “idle” mode.

And if you want to run Microsoft Internet Explorer despite all its security holes, Spyzooka's SpyGuard protection model is perfect for you.

You might think I'm a little bit prejudiced, and I suppose I am. I tend to favor quality products!

Fraudware has been around for a long time.  The creators of these programs have had a lot of time to put a lot of thought into how to rip you off.  Antivirus 2009 is the latest in a long line of scamming software. 

What to know:  If you didn’t start your antivirus and get a notification of infection, that’s the virus talking.  Especially if you get a virus notification that doesn’t look like it’s from your antivirus program.  That is your first line of defense. 

Windows will never charge you for upgrades, and will only direct you here if you need to upgrade:  http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/ .  That is, assuming you don’t have Automatic Updates set.  In that case, you’ll never be asked to update. 

Speaking of antivirus programs, if you don’t have one now, GET ONE!  Don’t follow any links that involve “Windows Antivirus” programs, though.  Get an actual antivirus program!

Antivirus 2009 isn't the security program it appears to be.  So if you find it on your system, you should get some good security software, and get rid of it ASAP!  (Manual removals don't usually take care of it, plus it has the nasty habit of regenerating!) 

What kinds of things will Antivirus 2009 do?  It will often install without your consent, which is the first bad sign.  It can also: 

Hijack and redirect your browser. 

Install other types of spyware or adware. 

Throw annoying popups up, while you surf the internet. 

Compromise your security as well as your privacy. 

Regenerate, once you think you have it removed. 

So if Antivirus 2009 ever shows up on your computer, make sure you take care of it with some good, real anti-spyware software. 

In many spyware searches, you may encounter one called .CasOnline, or its alias, .CasinoOnNet. This is not a virus or a Trojan. It is only a potentially unwanted program, or PUP. What this means is that there is very little threat to your privacy in regard to this program, but it has similar behavior to spyware. Any spyware protection software worth its salt will probably detect it, and label it as a PUP. It will then typically give you the option of keeping it or removing it.