In the era of ESET Smart Security 5 (released around 2011), the software relied heavily on a traditional signature-based detection model. To catch the latest malware, spyware, and trojans, the antivirus required daily—sometimes hourly—updates to its virus signature database.
Many websites and Facebook pages claiming to offer "daily NOD32 keys" were actually fronts for distributing malware. Users looking for text keys were often tricked into downloading malicious executable files disguised as "Key generators" or "Auto-updaters."
