New Virus Offers Fake Hard Disk Recovery

Private and corporate computer users have been warned of a new computer virus which tricks users into thinking their machine has suffered hard disk failure.

The virus, known as the 'Fakefrag' Trojan, then prompts the user to install a fake antivirus program which appears to remedy the problem introduced by the virus in the first place, but charges the user $79.50 for the privilege. The Trojan attacks the infected computer by hiding the files contained on the hard drive, making it appear that hard drive failure has caused a substantial loss of data. The user then starts to think they will need some form of hard drive recovery, and is invited by the same virus to install an expensive phoney antivirus program.

Although 'Scareware' virus attacks are fairly common, this Fakefrag Trojan is different as it actually alters the location of a user's files, hiding them in a 'Current User' folder, rather than the 'All Users' folder. The task Manager is also disabled, hiding desktop icons and preventing the user from making changes.

This virus cleverly plays on one of the biggest fears computer users have – of losing valuable data to a hard disk failure. In the event of genuine hard drive failures, the services of data recovery professionals are often required to retrieve data from damaged or worn out disk drives. Computer users should be wary of any unsolicited offers of hard drive repairs or diagnostics, as they may simply be introducing new problems into their computer.

Data recovery professionals all agree that keeping antivirus software up to date is essential, and offers the best possible protection against the latest scams and virus threats.

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