Researchers have discovered a new cyber threat, cyber criminals disguise themselves as Micosoft service centers to steal our information
The end of the year is the period most targeted by cyber criminals to make their online scams. These are frauds that almost always operate via email. Recently, cybersecurity researchers have discovered a new cyber threat that disguises itself as a fake Microsoft support message.
The victim almost always receives an email, but in some cases also a call, from Microsoft customer support. Obviously, cyber criminals are behind these emails and not the US IT giant. The hackers simply use a username similar or totally identical to Microsoft's and use the company's logos illegally. The text of the email informs us that our computer has been infected with a virus and that to get rid of the malware we will have to click on the attached link and follow the indicated procedure. This is a scam, because if we click on the link we will fall into the trap of cyber criminals.
How does the scam work
What is the purpose of these attacks? Almost always, this type of scams is used by hackers to collect information about us. In the malicious page to which we are redirected, we have to enter our personal data, our Microsoft account with the password and so on. In this way we are giving the green light to the malicious ones who can tamper with our profiles. Sometimes clicking on the link there is no wizard that opens, but we simply give automatic consent to the installation of a virus on our PC.
How to defend yourself
To avoid falling into traps similar to this new scam of Microsoft assistance the advice is always the same. First of all, avoid clicking lightly on links and attachments that arrive as messages via email, social networks and messaging applications. Before clicking on a link it is also advisable to scan the URL using a dedicated software or antivirus.
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