Biggest Security Threat So Far For Windows 7

With the release of Windows 7 on the 22nd October 2009 to the general public. I thought it would be interesting to discuss the biggest threat for those who already have the operating system installed on their PCs.

It appears it is:

FAKE AntiVirus software!

Windows 7 is the most secure operating system so far from Microsoft, one of the main reasons I switched to it as my main operating systm in July when the RTM became available for businesses using TechNet (that and it is a shear pleasure to use!)

Because it is predicted that Windows 7 will be installed on millions of PCs in the coming year, criminal gangs are turning their attention to how they can infect YOUR PC with a copy of their FAKE AntiVirus software.

There are 3 main ways they do this:

#1) They act as a legitimate website selling a security solution for Windows 7.

#2) They attempt to infect your PC via an email/website etc with a piece of software and

#3) They offer a free trial to scan your PC for viruses and end up infecting you in the process!

The final aim is to usualy fleece you of your credit card or bank account details – and it works as millions of dollars are made by these criminal gangs each year with these scams.

One of the fake AV solutions doing the rounds online is – AntiVirus Pro 2010:

Some users will have not realised they have a fake security product on their PC, but keep getting warning messages like this one appearing:

So What Can You Do To Protect Yourself?

There are some simple steps you can take to help prevent this happening to you:

#1) NEVER click a link in an unsolicited email for PC Security Software. Go direct to a safe vendor like PC Tools OR use the free Microsoft Security Essentials software. Some studies suggest that 50% of home users have NO security software installed!!!

#2) Keep your PC upto date with security patches for Windows and Office. But also for all the other software that is installed on your PC like Adobe Reader and Flash. It is these security holes that can be used to infect you.

#3) USE the latest version of Internet Explorer when surfing the internet.

#4) Perform regular scans of your PC with legitimate security software and keep it upto date with the latest definitions.

#5) Do NOT turn off the User Access Control (UAC) feature in Windows 7. It is there to alert you to any suspicious activity

Stay safe!

Regards

Marc Liron – Microsoft MVP