When the creators of operating systems start a design, they tend to think about first, how a person is going to use the system.
They think about how the person is going to scroll the mouse, open a window on the screen, and other features that the person will use on a day in, day out basis.
The designers try to train the user so that they will be able to navigate the features quickly.
They encourage the companies that make third party software components for the operating system to do the same.
They want these third party components to use the same look and feel as the rest of the OS.
Attackers know this fact as well.
An educated hacker will try to use this fact against a potential victim.
One way that they do this is to take advantage of the upgrade cycle for most software.
Users Have Been Trained To Upgrade
One thing that people have come to expect from their software is that it must be upgraded every now and then.
Sometimes the upgrade is crucial for your safety and other times the upgrade is minor and can be considered optional.
Whatever the case may be, most people will upgrade their system when they are told to.
Especially if they are told that it is important.
A hacker uses this fact by making their malware look like normal upgrade software from a company that you trust.
Hiding their software in the guise of a company that the user trusts makes it easier for the attacker to get their malware installed on the system.
The first part of the attack is to get the person to download the software.
If they want the attack to progress they must trick the person into installing the corrupted program.
If a person takes the time and read the name of the software that they are installing and sees that it is not from a trusted company then they will most likely not decide to install it.
If they think that it comes from a company that they trust, there is a better chance of it getting installed.
This is why a good amount of times, the malware comes disguised as software products from Microsoft, Adobe and other products that a user uses on a regular basis.
There is an easy way to avoid any confusion about fake software being loaded onto the your computer.
If you see a pop up that is suggesting that you upgrade your software, go directly to the company’s site.
If it is truly them asking that you upgrade your software then they will have it available on the site.
If it is not available on the site then more than likely it is a fake.
A user has to be careful when they are asked to upgrade their software while browsing the Internet.
Some of these request might be legitimate but to be on the safe side you should go to the companies site and download it directly.
This will save you a lot of headaches further down the line.
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