If you're not familiar with the term "scareware," it is when a web page you are viewing disguises itself as a pop-up window claiming you need to install a security update. It "scare"s you into clicking on a link that downloads mal"ware" onto your computer. The window is VERY official looking:



You can easily see how the average person may be tricked into clicking on the green banner to "activate" the security patch, however, doing so will install a nasty virus on your computer. The IT world is calling this a "worm" which means even after you remove this initial virus, the location of the file may not be completely deleted and will lay dormant for awhile. It will reappear later on when you use whatever program it is attached to.

The best thing to do if you get one of these pop-ups is to hit "Ctrl+Alt+Delete" to pull up your Task Manager. Then, select the Internet window the pop-up is on and hit "End Task."