Beware of Malicious Windows 10 Upgrade Emails

As has been reported in the past, malware authors and cyber criminals are very quick to mine trending topics over the Internet in order to trick people and infect their machines. Windows 10 has been making waves over the web off late with every Windows user curious to see what the fuss is all about. And inevitably, malware authors have jumped on the bandwagon too and are coming up with ways to take advantage of unsuspecting users to infect their machines.

Windows 10 was officially released on July 29th 2015 but there were several people who had to wait in ‘line’ to get their updated OS version. This led to a lot of impatience and a few cases where victims fell for malicious emails that claimed to offer the Windows 10 update immediately.

The trick used by malware authors is very simple. They just create a fake email that looks and sounds as though it’s coming from Microsoft. The subject line of these emails is something like – “Get Your Windows 10 Update” or “Windows 10 Update For FREE”. These mails target people who are either waiting for their Windows OS to be upgraded, or people who have not signed up for the upgrade at all.

The emails contain some convincing information about upgrading to Windows 10 and invite victims to click on a link which supposedly initiates the download. Unfortunately, the link simply downloads and installs some form of malware on the machine and this leads to further complications for the unsuspecting victim. The downloaded malware can be strains of ransomware that lock the system and demand payment, or spyware that collects and sends information or any other form of unwanted software on the system.

Users are to be aware and cautious about such emails (and other forms of communication like SMS’s or social media posts) regarding Windows 10. It is also crucial to remember that Windows 10 is free only for those who are using licensed versions of Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 8.1. For more information on Windows 10 and how to upgrade to it, this official FAQspage from Microsoft is the most reliable source for information.