220-1102 · Question #602
A technician is troubleshooting a user's PC that is running slowly and displaying frequent pop- ups. The technician thinks malware may be causing the issues, but before the issues began the user…
The correct answer is B. False alert. A user installing anti-malware software after a pop-up, only to then experience slow performance and more pop-ups, strongly suggests the 'anti-malware' software itself was malicious (a scareware or fake antivirus), making it a false alert.
Question
A technician is troubleshooting a user's PC that is running slowly and displaying frequent pop- ups. The technician thinks malware may be causing the issues, but before the issues began the user installed anti-malware software in response to a pop-up window. Which of the following is the most likely cause of these issues?
Options
- AExpired certificate
- BFalse alert
- CMissing system files
- DOS update failure
How the community answered
(21 responses)- A14% (3)
- B76% (16)
- C5% (1)
- D5% (1)
Why each option
A user installing anti-malware software after a pop-up, only to then experience slow performance and more pop-ups, strongly suggests the 'anti-malware' software itself was malicious (a scareware or fake antivirus), making it a false alert.
An expired certificate would typically cause browser warnings or prevent access to secure websites, but it wouldn't directly cause system slowness and frequent pop-ups in the manner described, especially after installing 'anti-malware' software.
This scenario describes a common scareware tactic where a malicious pop-up (a 'false alert') frightens the user into installing fake anti-malware software. This fake software then causes the system to run slowly and generate more pop-ups, confirming it is malicious rather than protective.
Missing system files can cause various issues, including system instability or crashes, but it's less likely to be directly linked to a user installing software in response to a pop-up and subsequently experiencing pop-ups and slowness.
An OS update failure could lead to performance issues, but it's not the most likely cause when the problems started immediately after installing specific software in response to a pop-up, which points to a software-induced issue.
Concept tested: Recognizing scareware and social engineering tactics
Source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/threat-protection/threats/scareware-threat
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