Windows 7 Beaten to the Punch by Spam
- Wednesday, October 21, 2009, 9:09
- Threat Research
The release of Microsoft’s next major operating system, Windows 7, is at hand. It’s timely to remind everyone that we have seen Windows 7 spam for a few months. Anything on this scale from Microsoft is too big a lure for spammers and cybercriminals to ignore. (I would be stunned if they didn’t take advantage.)
We’ve seen subjects that include:
Microsoft Windows 7 special offers
Windows 7 SP 2
Windows 7 FAQ on release
Today’s Special Gateway Laptop + NEW Windows 7 & More Electronics Deals
Windows7 ultimate 86% off
Windows7 ultimate 57% off
We at McAfee Labs have noticed these throughout both September and October–with spikes as high as 1.88 percent of total spam. That might sound like a small number, but when you consider that daily spam volumes can reach 160 billion messages, it is not insignificant.
As always, stay aware of the trends the scams and spammers use to lure you in. Be safe and watch what you click!
I thank my colleague Adam Wosotowsky for the background data!