'METROPOLITAN POLICE' Attention! Illegal activity was revealed!

'METROPOLITAN POLICE' Attention! Illegal activity was revealed! Image

Many Internet users have engaged in some kind of online illegal activity, probably without knowing it. If you have watched videos on YouTube, chances are that you watched a copyright-protected video. It is also quite common for minors to visit adult websites or to engage in illegal file sharing and torrent downloads. Most computer users also probably have an audio or video file on their system that is technically illegal, even if the crime is very minor and impractical to prosecute. The makers of what is becoming known as the Metropolitan Police Attention virus take advantage of this by blackmailing inexperienced users. This virus started becoming widespread in the United Kingdom in the early summer of 2012 and if left unchecked, can render a computer system completely useless.

What is the Metropolitan Police Attention Virus?

The Metropolitan Police Attention virus gets Metropolitan Police Attention's name from Metropolitan Police Attention's distinguishing alert message. This virus, delivered by a Trojan, blocks a user's applications and Internet access and displays a warning that says: "METROPOLITAN POLICE" Attention! Illegal activity was revealed! Then Metropolitan Police Attention will demand the user to pay 75 British pounds if they want to regain control of their computer. It should be obvious that law enforcement does not work in this way and that your machine is in no danger of being hijacked by the police force. However, there are enough people that fall for this scam to make the Metropolitan Police Attention virus lucrative for the criminals that created Metropolitan Police Attention.

Is Your Computer in Danger of Contracting the Metropolitan Police Attention Virus?

The Metropolitan Police Attention virus is only known to attack computers in the United Kingdom. More specifically, "METROPOLITAN POLICE" Attention! Illegal activity was revealed! only attacks those computers with a British Internet Protocol address, or IP. If your computer is in a different region then the chances of your computer being attacked by the Metropolitan Police Attention Virus are very low. If you are careless when browsing, make a habit of visiting suspicious websites, and do not have a strong anti-virus utility running on your system, then your chances of infecting your computer with the Metropolitan Police Attention virus are higher than normal.

How Can You Avoid the Metropolitan Police Attention Virus?

The Metropolitan Police Attention virus is delivered into a user's computer through a Trojan. Trojans exploit security vulnerabilities to gain access to a computer system and deliver a virus, spyware, or other kinds of malicious programs. There are several common sources for Trojans on the Internet; users that are aware of these sources can drastically reduce the chances of their computer being attacked. In addition to being more careful when browsing, running a legitimate anti-spyware or anti-virus program and a secure firewall is the best way to catch Trojans before they manage to get into your system and cause harmful effects. Trojans are often acquired from:

-Fake video codecs from adult websites.

-Disguised files distributed in file sharing networks.

-Opening email attachments from unknown senders.

-Running a corrupted Flash video or application.

-Clicking on infected banner advertisements or pop-up windows.