Cybercriminals have already seized upon the end of support for
Windows XP as a theme for numerous scams and fake software updates.
Microsoft
pushed out its last ever patches for the 13-year-old operating system
last Tuesday (8 April). Numerous YouTube videos "advertising programs
and functionality related to Windows XP" that have appeared online over
recent days are actually pushing adware and other undesirable apps,
anti-virus firm Malwarebytes reports.
Among the dodgy apps being pushed is a Potentially Unwanted Program
(PUP) that falls into the Amonetize-A class of nasties, classified as
“undesirable” by Malwarebytes and 15 other security software firms.
Supposed "Media Center" keygen tools are also pushing applications likely to harm the performance of computers.
"Keygens
are something you should really avoid, as more often than not you never
know quite what you’ll end up with," Christopher Boyd, a malware
intelligence analyst at Malwarebytes, says in a blog post. "As for XP themed 'setup files', those links took us to the usual selection of surveys and ringtone offers."
"Take
care with the last minute surge of XP themed downloads and offers –
whether on social networks, forums or video sharing sites, a lot of what
you’re going to see over the coming weeks will probably not do you any
favours,” he adds. “XP may be dead and gone in terms of updates, but
that doesn’t mean pitfalls and booby traps have followed suit."
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