Aloha Kakou,
Here are a couple of new exploits that the bad guys have come up with try and transfer your money into their pockets.
The first one pops up a window on your computer that looks exactly like a real Microsoft Update security warning. Two things you need to know to protect yourself:
1) Take a look at this sample screenshot. Notice the logo in the top left corner. This exploit uses Firefox. Microsoft stuff would only use Internet Explorer. (And no, this does not mean that you should switch from Firefox to some other browser – the bad guys are working on exploits against all of them.) Mahalo to the Sophos Naked Security blog for providing the sample screenshot.
2) Microsoft Update does not open a window on your machine unless you specifically start it.
The second exploit pops up a window in your browser that has a warning that you’re about to visit a malicious web page. The first thought most folks would have is probably “Cool! I’m finally getting a warning before I go and infect my machine!” And, yeah, if this was a legitimate warning this would be cool. But… look closely at that warning. If there is a “Download Updates!” button in that window, then this warning is bogus. If you click the button, you’ll end up installing malware on your machine that will bombard you with fake infection warnings and prompt you to purchase the software that will “fix” the fake problems that are being reported (and probably install some other junk on your system). If you want to download updates to your anti-virus and anti-malware programs, open the programs directly (usually through an icon in the lower right corner of the screen down by the clock). You might have to right-click on the icon to get the menu which allows you to open the window for the program. From there you can check for the latest updates.
Malama Pono,
Da Haole Boy
