Scareware (also known as “rogue security software”) is a new breed of malicious software that pretends to be the good guy in the war against viruses and worms.
Scareware is any kind of fake software that appears to help protect your computer’s security, but instead generates misleading or annoying alerts and might attempt to trick you into paying money for a useless product. According to a recent article in USA Today, scareware is popping up in more and more places, including ads on popular Web sites, comments on YouTube and Twitter.
If you think you may have downloaded scareware, you can help protect your computer by using the Windows Live safety scanner or running the Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool.
For more information, see Beware of rogue security software.
We've recently heard about a new phishing scam that targets Windows Live Hotmail users. If you see an e-mail message that looks like the one below, do not respond. Delete it or click Junk to mark the sender as unsafe and delete the message. The most important clue that this is a phishing scam is the request for personal information. The Windows Live team does not request passwords, user names, or other personal information via e-mail.
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For more information, see Recognize phishing scams and fraudulent e-mail.
Microsoft Vice President of Trustworthy Computing, Scott Charney, attended a meeting at the White House earlier this month where President Obama announced the results of a study of U.S. policies and structures for cybersecurity. The study acknowledges that information and communications networks are largely owned and operated by the private sector, which means that the government must work with corporations like Microsoft to address network security issues.
For more information about the results of the study, read Charney's blog entry An Important Step in Advancing Cybersecurity in the Microsoft on the Issues blog or download a PDF copy of the White House Cyberspace Policy Review.
On our End to End Trust Web site, you can also watch a video of Scott Charney discussing Microsoft's efforts to work with governments to fight cybercrime and help secure the Internet.
Today Microsoft unveiled Microsoft Security Essentials, a no cost beta version of a new kind of hassle-free security software designed for people who don’t want to spend too much time thinking about computer security. Download the beta.
Sales of Microsoft’s current antivirus software, Windows Live OneCare, will stop in September 2009. If you have a OneCare subscription, rest assured that you will be supported until that subscription runs out. For more information, see Facts about OneCare.
Microsoft Security Essentials is a standalone download for the Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 operating systems.
“Customers around the world have told us that they need comprehensive, ongoing protection from new and existing threats, and we take that concern seriously,” said Amy Barzdukas, senior director of product management for the Online Services and Windows Division at Microsoft.
“This new, no-cost offering will give us the ability to protect an even greater number of consumers, especially in markets where the growth of new PC purchases is outpaced only by the growth of malware.”
Microsoft releases security updates on the second Tuesday of every month. Today Microsoft released 10 new security updates.
Get the updates
To download the updates, visit the Microsoft Update Web site. If you have automatic updating turned on, your computer will update and install these security updates.
Read more about the updates.
Watch a short video about the updates.
Get technical information about the updates
For technical details, visit Microsoft TechNet.