The right security products are key to protecting the information you keep on your personal computer these days, but with so many different software solutions crowding the marketplace, it can be difficult to decide which options are actually legitimate applications.
Many products pose as authentic security solutions while really offering you far more than you bargained for.
System Tool is one of those problem products pretending to be helpful software.
It's actually rogue security software.
Sometimes dubbed "scareware," it's one of many programs that imitates real security programs without actually providing you the protection you need.
What's more, though, is that it creates alert messages designed to frighten you and prods you to purchase unnecessary, and sometimes dangerous, programs for your computer.
Understanding System Tool A clone of the 2008 Security Tool release, System Tool is actually installed on your computer thanks to a Trojan.
Other names for this program include SystemTool2011 and PC Tool 2011.
As soon as it's been installed, users immediately begin to notice a new system scanning feature that was previously absent.
Once the scan is complete, the program suggests your system is infected with a variety of different threatening programs.
It's important to note that, in most cases, your system isn't actually infested with the problem programs System Tool suggests it is.
The program, however, hopes to frighten you into making a purchase, so it scares you with falsehoods about the actual status of your system.
In addition to the scanning procedures on your computer, you may also notice that you can't access several of your favorite programs.
System Tool actually has the ability to terminate these programs before you click on them, and you'll likely see an error message that says something like Warning! Application cannot be executed.
The file cmd.
exe is infected.
Please activate your antivirus software.
The goal, of course, is to get you to purchase the full version of the program to "clean" your system.
Unfortunately, making that purchase will do little to protect you or even solve your problem.
System Tool wasn't actually built to deal with security issues.
It was simply designed as a way to get computer users to make a purchase.
The scans and the error messages are one thing, but this program can also take things one step further by creating new icons on your desktop and even changing the background of your desktop.
Instead of the default picture you've set, you may now see a background warning you of the potential danger lurking in your computer.
The text typically reads: Warning! You're In Danger! Your Computer is Infected with Spyware! All you do with your computer forever is stored in your hard disk.
When you visit sites, send emails...
All your actions are logged.
And it's impossible to remove them with standard tools.
Your data is still available for forensics and in some cases.
For your boss, your friends, your wife, your children.
Every site you or somebody or even something, like spyware, opened in your browsers, with all the images, and all the downloaded and maybe later removed movies or mp3 songs - are still there and could break your life.
Secure Yourself Right Now! Remove All Spyware From Your PC! It's important to note that most of the warnings you'll see with System Tool are very poorly worded.
Many of them contain grammatical errors and misspellings.
Because the program probably originated in Russia, all of the error messages you see may seem oddly incorrect, and it's one way you can tell any real error messages on your machine from the fake ones sent by System Tool.
If you do have System Tool installed on your computer, the best possible option is to remove System Tool as soon as possible.
It could put you at risk for further security problems on your machine.