Tech Support scams is a combination of social engineering and malware. Once the user’s computer is infected with the initial malware that typically alerts the user that computer is infected with a virus. It urges the user to either install a anti-virus software, which of course is another malware, or to contact a tech support hotline – a number that charges by the minute. According the report, Microsoft claimed that victims has lost over $15 Billion to these scammers.
Ways to protect yourself:
- Keep your computer patched up and up-to-date
- Use anti-virus/malware software
- Contact with Tech support should go through official channels
Article : http://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/tech-support-scams-put-uk-users-at/
Loi,
This is an interesting article. When I used to do technical support for students I used to see this type of malware all the time. Students would install this fakeware, or fake-antivirus because they received a pop-up stating their computer was infected with a virus. Sometimes, you had to purchase the scanner to “remove” the malware, and it was only payable by bitcoin or moneypak. These are very sophisticated, authentic looking malware attacks. I was surprised to see $1.5 billion was the expense of this malware.
These attacks are so common because they work. People tend to trust what their computer is asking of them and may not look at whether the popup is from Microsoft or a malicious program. Sometimes they even have phone lines that you can call and they will continue to try to take money from you. I think users should know what their official channels for repair are when they buy a computer.