Warning: Urgent Microsoft Update May Be Firefox Malware

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Tim Greene, NetworkWorld


A phony anti-virus scam is presenting itself as a near-perfect Microsoft update popup with one notable exception - it appears only on machines using Firefox browsers.

According to the Sophos Naked Security blog machines infected in drive-by downloads from compromised sites receive the scareware that appears as urgent update notifications.

The clue that the updates are phony is that they appear only when the affected computer uses Firefox. Legitimate updates come via Internet Explorer, Sophos says.

Victims click to receive the urgent updates and their computers are infected with malware that seizes up the machines. A persistent popup says the infection can be cleaned up by buying anti-virus software - a phony product sold by the criminals behind the phony Microsoft update notification.

Sophos recommends accepting updates only from vendors from whom users have requested updates.

[Hal-9000]

My updates don't come through any browsers...I get the notification in the taskbar and it opens up the dialogue about downloading and installing.


durrrrh?

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Not everyone is that smart




My dad would click any pop-up window

[Hal-9000]

Don't you get the same?

It notifies you and then a different, small window opens listing the update and the install progress.No browsers are running at this point.
The little centered window has the nice thick green progress bar and then it's done.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Oh I know that and you know that.....but my dad would still click on the pop-up window

[Hal-9000]

I think my neighbor's dog installed Party Poker on my pc...

I don't have any hard proof yet, but I keep getting these random emails addressed to Mr. Rex Barkly

[Teh One Who Knocks]

[Hal-9000]

he's a sarcastic little bastard