Fake anti-virus warnings like the one below really piss me off.  This one came up in Internet Explorer while using Google to do some research.

 

This dialog popped up from a perfectly legitimate link in Google results.  Regardless of whether the dialog is closed with the OK button, the Cancel button, or the window close button, the user is taken to a malicious web site.  The web site behind the link redirects to winfix2008live.com/_freescan.php.

Pop-up blocking is activated in Internet Explorer.

Firefox is no less immune in this respect.

 Apple Safari on a MacBook Pro has the same issue.

 

I’m a fairly knowledgable computer use with up-to-date security software installed on my systems, so it was a bit of a surprise when browsers started popping up warnings about being “struck by the virus.”  It is easy to see how “average” computer users can be misled by these sorts of popups