Fake Windows 10 Upgrade email

Around the time Windows 10 was released, some people received emails with a file called 'Win10 Installer'. This email is not from Microsoft, it's from some people who have made a virus that will deny you access to your computer's files. The virus is a ransomware that will encrypt your files and ask you to pay to get them back. Even if you don't receive this email, keep in mind, there is a large number of ransomware out there and this is just one of them, we recommend reading on to see how to protect yourself.

Preventing this from happening:

If you receive any email claiming to be from Microsoft, keep in mind that they won't attach files, especially WIndows installers to their emails. And, even if you do run it (although we do not recommend running it), a message box should appear saying that the publisher is not verified and asking if you'd like to run it. If you ever get a message saying that the publisher of a file or program is not verified, and that file claims to be from Microsoft, do not run it! Microsoft will sign their software so that you know that it's from them. The message you'll get will look something like this:

To conclude, remember to be cautious when running programs from the internet, if you get an Unknown Publisher message, don't run it (unless you know what you're doing and have taken the necessary precautions, such as creating a restore point) unless you trust the publisher. We'll be doing a lot more security posts, including ones on how to protect your computer from these types of things. You can view these under Tutorials in 'Scams" and "Malware', you can also Subscribe to notifications of new content if you'd like.

If you have been infected:

Ransomware is very difficult, it can encrypt your files, which means, even if you remove the ransomware, you still can't access the encrypted files. In this particular case, this ransomware does encrypt your files.

Fortunately, same ransomware simply take over your screen, stating that your filed are encrypted, even though it didn't do anything to them.

Removing the ransomware:

Unfortunately, in many cases, simply removing the ransomware won't work, as they encrypt your files, although, in some cases, as mentioned above, they do not. Probably the best way to start is to try doing a scan with your antivirus software, if your on Windows 8 or above, you have antivirus pre-installed, it's called Windows defender, you can open it by going Start > All apps and then find Windows Defender under Windows System. You can also search it up. If you are on Windows Vista or 7, Microsoft offers a free antivirus software, (similar to Windows Defender in WIndows 8 and above) called Microsoft Security Essentials, which you can download here. If you'd prefer a third-party antivirus, or just want to have a look and compare different antiviruses, Microsoft provides a list of security software here.

Another alternative is to ask an IT professional who can manually delete the malware and possibly recover your files.

While you're here, why not check out our guide on Adware, another form of Malware which display intrusive ads on your computer.

#Security #Windows10 #Malware #Scam #Troubleshooting #Tips