Cybercriminals are trying to find the perfect bait for their victims by using the familiar environment of Microsoft Security Essentials to carry out a “tech support” scam.
Chris Larsen, a researcher at enterprise security solutions company Blue Coat, discovered a website that warns visitors about the presence of malware on their computer, and offers them a free scan using the Security Essentials tool.
If the victim accepts and starts the fake scan, a scan window appears that mimics legitimate Microsoft. The supposed antivirus warns the user that dozens of infections have been detected on their computer and redirects them to a web chat application for technical support from experts.
In this way, the cybercriminals behind this scam try to convince victims to purchase security software in order to get rid of the virtual infections.
Tech support scams are very lucrative and can lead to hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue through the sale of overpriced or pirated software.
