Cybercriminals release ‘Windows 9’ … ahead of Microsoft

• Social engineering attacks leveraging on rumoured Win9 dev preview release
• Users who click on the download links end up downloading various malware

OVER the past week or, a Windows 9 developer preview release rumour has been widely circulated on the Internet. The rumour has caught the attention of news media, tech followers, and cybercriminals who have been known for taking advantage of latest trends to scam users, according to Trend Micro Inc.
 
The security software company said it has found multiple malicious websites offering a free download of the yet-to-be-released Windows 9. Internet users who click on the download links would end up downloading various malware, Trend Micro said in a statement.
 
Users who click the ‘Download Now’ button will be redirected to a download page provided by the file-hosting serviceTurbobit.net. The file being offered as a free download is 5.11GB in size.
 
Users who proceed with the download are brought to another page that prompts them to install a video file download manager.
 
The file (VideoPerformanceSetup.exe) is an adware detected as ADW_BRANTALL.GA, Trend Micro said.
 
Upon further analysis, the 5.11GB file is instead a reskinned Windows 7 SP1 64-bit copy, bundled with a handful of software utilities, rather than a ‘leaked’ copy of Windows 9.
 
Trend Micro strongly urges the public to remain vigilant against the influx of cyber-threats taking advantage of the Windows 9 rumour as cybercriminals will continue to do so.
 
For further details and images of the Windows 9 social engineering attacks, go to the Trend Micro TrendLabs blogpost here.
 
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