To block the antivirus from “phoning home” (i.e., contacting the vendor’s license verification servers), the tool may append entries to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts , redirecting activation domains to 127.0.0.1 (localhost). Example:
“What do you need?” Leo shouted at the screen. Antivirus Activation Assistant v2.1.0 -32bit.zip
Just to be clear:
This appears suspicious for a few reasons: To block the antivirus from “phoning home” (i
Sarah explained that she had downloaded a zip file called 'Antivirus Activation Assistant v2.1.0 -32bit.zip' from what she thought was a legitimate source. She had tried to extract its contents, but now her computer was displaying an error message. contacting the vendor’s license verification servers)