BACKGROUND:
With the new OS from Microsoft already highly-anticipated, many users have flocked to the Windows Insiders program to experience and download Windows 11 preview versions. However, security experts have warned eager users to take care when downloading and installing preview versions of Windows 11 after detecting malware-laden fake installers, reports Tech Radar. Hundreds of such attempts have already been nullified, according to Kaspersky, who have detected fake malware-laden Windows 11 downloaders that install and run other applications in the background.
In one example, a 1.76GB installable file called ‘86307_windows 11 build 21996.1 x64 + activator.exe’, made to look like a genuine Windows Installation Wizard, contained only a DLL file with some useless information. However, running this file starts downloading other applications in the background. This second installable file even has a license agreement that states that the installer will install some sponsored apps to install Windows 11 on your PC. The moment a user agrees, it starts downloading and installing malicious files from the internet, causing a serious threat to the data saved on the device. Windows 11 is not yet available to download or purchase commercially, with Microsoft stating the software may only be available around the end of the year.
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