Rogue security software — better known as rogueware — is a form of computer malware that misleads users into paying for the fake removal of malware on personal computers. It was first reported on four years ago but a new report out says that about 40 percent of all rogueware incidents were reported from January to October of this year. Experts say the sophistication and social-engineering techniques used in creating rogueware are the basis of its success. So far in 2010, nearly half of all computers globally have been infected with some strain of malware — and nearly 10 percent of those have been rogueware infections.

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