Softbard.net

Is your web browser taking you to Softbard.net, for no apparent reason? If so, then your computer is infected with a browser hijacker, which you should remove as quickly as possible. If your computer isn't infected with the hijacker, do not attempt to visit Softbard.net on your own, because Softbard.net is a malicious website.

The Hijacker Softbard.net

The hijacker that causes your web browser to redirect you to Softbard.net is named for the website it redirects to, so both the hijacker and the website are called Softbard.net. The hijacker Softbard.net gets onto a PC with the help of a Trojan, which is usually hidden in a file that you download, such as a fake video codec, or a program update downloaded from a third-party site. However, the Trojan can also download itself to your computer if you click on a malicious link to a site that exploits flaws in your computer's security in order to cause the Trojan to download automatically. Once the Trojan is on your PC, it sets up the hijacker Softbard.net. After that, whenever you try to go online, you will be taken to Softbard.net instead of whatever site you were trying to visit. You may even be given a fake "blocked site" security window in your browser, which will say that the site you were trying to go to is malicious. However, if you click on the link "more information" near the end of the Window, you'll be taken to Softbard.net.

If you see any pop-up advertisements or alerts while viewing Softbard.net, or when you try to use your web browser, please disregard them. Anything that the hijacker or the Softbard.net website may tell you about the state of your computer's security is false.

The Website Softbard.net

The website Softbard.net promotes the fake security program Antivirus Monitor, and Antivirus Monitor is part of a huge Internet scam. Antivirus Monitor is malware that fakes to be a security application, and which severely disables any PC on which it is installed. Softbard.net is one of many sites that claim to sell licenses for Antivirus Monitor, and it has a payment page. On this payment page, you can use your credit card and pay for the malware's license. Of course, because Antivirus Monitor is fake and utterly useless, paying for a license does not actually get you anything.

Don't be taken in by the appearance of Softbard.net. Softbard.net does have some content that is intended to make Softbard.net look realistic, but if you look at Softbard.net carefully, you'll find that Softbard.net is flimsy and suspicious. Softbard.net uses the same handful of testimonials and malware terminology definitions in several places throughout the site, apparently to fill up space. There is a customer support page, but it's just a worthless email form which no one actually responds to, because Antivirus Monitor has no customer support personnel. Antivirus Monitor even claims to have a street address, but that address doesn't correspond to any real business, and neither does the phone number. Finally, the fishiest thing of all about Softbard.net is that it is literally identical, down to every last lame, half-baked detail, to all of the other sites that claim to sell Antivirus Monitor.

As with the other Antivirus Monitor sites, Softbard.net uses misleading website registration information in order to conceal its origins. The most public portion of the website's registration, its Whois record, claims that Softbard.net is registered to a company based in Hawaii. That's a lie – Softbard.net has the IP address 77.79.10.35, which is registered in Lithuania, and which is also the IP address of the malicious websites Antivired.com, Unavsoft.com, and Antiviran.com.Furthermore, Softbard.net's IP address reveals that the site is hosted from SPLIUS-NET, a known location of exploit servers (servers that websites can refer to for malware or malicious content).

So, the evidence is overwhelming: Softbard.net is extremely malicious. Steer clear of Softbard.net and anything related to the site.