Fraudulent emails that are encouraging people to upgrade to the new Windows 10 are dropping ransomware into computers and not the new operating system from Microsoft.
If you are waiting for your copy of the new Microsoft operating system Windows 10, no one can blame you for your eagerness to start using the new OS.
However, if an email arrives that encourages an upgrade to the new Windows 10, caution must be exercised as there are scammers out there wanting to do damage.
When making a first glance at the email it appears to be legitimate and Cisco says that the scammers are spoofing the email senders address making it appear it comes from Microsoft. In addition, the color scheme of blue and white makes it appear to be that of Microsoft.
Therefore, unless the reader looks very carefully he or she could be fooled into believing it is actually a legitimate Microsoft email.
An attached zip file is said to be an installer for Windows 10, but Cisco says the attachment contains ransomware known as CTB-Locker, which encrypts the user’s files and asks for payment within the next 96 hours or it will let the files stay encrypted forever.
Cisco recommends having a current backup of all files all the time, just in case ransomware bites.
One important thing to remember is that Microsoft is not emailing the new Windows 10 or embedding it into an email rather it is automatically being downloading onto the computer.
Cisco also points out that there are mangled characters in the email body text.
If you have not yet received the reserved copy of Windows 10 and are becoming somewhat impatient, it can be downloaded now.
