Meet Hicurdismos. On Second Thought, Don’t
“It is truly marvelous, that in this art, and in this only, the various methods of falsification should be made a study: for the sample of the false denarius is now an object of careful examination, and people absolutely buy the counterfeit coin at the price of many genuine ones!”
So said Pliny the Elder, the first century A.D. philosopher who died in the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, proving that men have engaged in the art of counterfeiting for more than two millennia. While it may not be the world’s oldest infamous profession, it is a close second.
Meet Hicurdismos
This is where you, the reader, think that Hicurdismos was an ancient Greek or Roman counterfeiter. You would be wrong. Hicurdismos is not Greek not Roman nor ancient, but one this Hicurdismos is a counterfeit.
Hicurdismos is a form of malware disguised as a BSoD (Blue Screen of Death) alert. It is a counterfeit of Microsoft Security Essentials tech support software for Windows 7 and Windows 8. In addition to going to blue screen, the malware hides your cursor so that you PC appears to be frozen. A warning message then appears. It includes a toll-free number to call for tech support. Of course, when you call the number, you discover that this counterfeit is also ransomware. Gotcha!
The Problem with Counterfeiting
The problem with counterfeiting is that is so deceptive. It was deceptive in the first century. It is even more deceptive today. Why is that?
The reason is simple. Every solution for counterfeiting has always been the same: develop a better technology. Granted it didn’t take a giant leap in technology to craft a different drachma or denarius. It just took a while for the counterfeiters to catch up with the change.
In the 21st century technology is the answer for every problem. Technology is advancing at a rate that was unimaginable even 20 years ago. Think about that. Technology itself is moving so fast that a) it is more difficult to stay ahead of counterfeiters, and b) counterfeiters can move as fast or, in some cases, faster that the “feiters” can count.
Digital counterfeiters don’t have to be any faster. They only have to be good enough to fool the average person. As soon as a new technology exists, they can move rapidly to replicate the original for the pernicious purpose of pulling one over on us.
The Son of Hicurdismos
It remains to be seen what the next iteration of the Hicurdismos DNA will be. When it does become apparent, we will warn you to be on guard. In the meantime, don’t believe everything you read on your computer screen – unless, of course, it is from us. Be concerned. Be careful. Be cautious. We are here for you.