Rogue security software is a form of malicious software and Internet fraud that misleads users into believing there is a virus on their computer, and manipulates them into paying money for a fake malware removal tool (that actually introduces malware to the computer). It is a form of scareware that manipulates users through fear, and a form of ransomware. Rogue security software has become a growing and serious security threat in desktop computing in recent years (from 2008 on).