There's a very serious ransomware scam targeting Windows users trying to
upgrade to Windows 10. If you click the link in this email, it will
download a virus that locks your computer and holds it hostage until you
pay up.
This one is particularly dangerous because it's so timely. Right now you
might be waiting for your upgrade to Windows 10 as Microsoft gradually
rolls out the new version. It's easy to imagine how somebody could fall
for this scam if they're not paying attention.
Remember, Microsoft is NOT emailing Windows 10 upgrades. But on top of
that, there are some other red flags in the email. First, the IP address
of the sender is actually in Thailand, not the US. Second, there will
probably be some parsing problems with the email text. Third, it tries to
trick you by telling you it was scanned for virus "MailScanner." This is a
classic trick to make you think the email is safe. It's all part of the
disguise.
Your best insurance against this sort of scam, especially if you're at
risk of someone less informed installing the ransomware on your machine,
is to ensure that you back up all of your data and store it offline. We at
Komando.com never recommend paying the ransom to the hackers.
This tricky email appears as if it's from Microsoft. It even uses the
address "[email protected]," and the body of the email encourages you
to download an attached .zip file to install Windows 10. Do NOT download
and install this file.
Microsoft is not emailing customers with the Windows 10 upgrade. That
should be your very first clue. Your current Windows operating system will
notify you when your upgrade is available. There will be a notification in
your toolbar. You won't get any email.
If you do make the mistake of downloading and installing the ransomware,
all your files and documents will be locked by unbreakable encryption.
You'll have to pay the hackers if you want them back.
Remember, Microsoft is NOT emailing Windows 10 upgrades. But on top of
that, there are some other red flags in the email. First, the IP address
of the sender is actually in Thailand, not the US. Second, there will
probably be some parsing problems with the email text. Third, it tries to
trick you by telling you it was scanned for virus "MailScanner." This is a
classic trick to make you think the email is safe. It's all part of the
disguise.
Your best insurance against this sort of scam, especially if you're at
risk of someone less informed installing the ransomware on your machine,
is to ensure that you back up all of your data and store it offline. We at
Komando.com never recommend paying the ransom to the hackers.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Groups.io Links:
You receive all messages sent to this group.
View This Message (#7218):
https://groups.io/org/groupsio/blindtech/message/7218
Mute This Thread: https://groups.io/mt/114733?uid=5337
Change Your Subscription:
https://groups.io/org/groupsio/blindtech/editsub?uid=5337
Unsubscribe:
https://groups.io/org/groupsio/blindtech/leave/22069/2027256985/xyzzy
Group Home: https://groups.io/org/groupsio/blindtech
Contact Group Owner: [email protected]
Terms of Service: https://groups.io/static/tos
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
_______________________________________________
Any views or opinions presented in this email are solely those of the author
and do not necessarily represent those of Ai Squared.
For membership options, visit
http://lists.window-eyes.com/options.cgi/talk-window-eyes.com/archive%40mail-archive.com.
For subscription options, visit
http://lists.window-eyes.com/listinfo.cgi/talk-window-eyes.com
List archives can be found at
http://lists.window-eyes.com/private.cgi/talk-window-eyes.com
