back to article Win 7 compatibility checker punts Trojan

Miscreants have disguised Trojan horse malware under the guise of a Windows 7 compatibility checker. The malware comes as a zip-based attachment to email messages supposed offering "help" on upgrading Windows boxes. But this "Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor Setup" assistant offers only a Trojan, instead of the promised compatibility …

COMMENTS

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    title is spelled t i t l e. that's wot mummy says

    "users who open and run the application end up with systems compromised with a backdoor that allows hackers to insert other viruses and spyware."

    Sounds a lot like the Windows installer. People should be warned!

    *puts on tin foil shoes* to the virus-mobile! nee nor nee nor nee nor

  2. BristolBachelor Gold badge
    Joke

    Windows?

    "Windows users who open and run the application end up with systems compromised with a backdoor that allows hackers to insert other viruses and spyware."

    So it's really windows installer?

  3. DEAD4EVER
    Unhappy

    windows 7 trojan

    hackers try anything on any os weather its osx or windows they will try any worms or trojans to screw peoples pcs up big time. there the scum of the earth low lifes just like drug dealers. there only picking on windows because they know its popular simple as that. but how often does osx get infected not often as much as windows i try and keep my system updated as much as i can to avoid thease bugs. as for windows 7 well its still going strong on my current pc.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Paris Hilton

      RE: windows 7 trojan

      "there only picking on windows because they know its popular simple as that. "

      Not just that. Windows is about as secure as Paris Hilton's private video collection. Most other OSs are much more secure...

      While I'm thinking about it, can someone please ask Paris to write the next version of Windows? She'd probably do a better job.

  4. Uk_Gadget
    WTF?

    I need to distribute....

    ... something simular that erases the boot partition. If people are stupid enough to run programs like this then they do not deserve to own a PC....

    SYSTEM ERROR: Replace User

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Stop

      RE: I need to distribute....

      Well, not everyone is supposed to know everything about the Internet! Some people have no idea what malware is.

      The key is educating users rather than being a Computer Nazi and sticking them all in the bin.

      1. Uk_Gadget
        Happy

        Computer Nazi

        Hope you are not being kinda stereotypical here... I am of german blood, my parents grew up in Nazi Germany... You non Nazi's know nothing.....

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Grenade

          @UK_Gadget is right

          People should be made to take a test and have a license these days to use a computer. As for erasing the boot partition... remember boot sector viruses from the 80's? :-) Wonder if AV software still picks those up....

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            "People should be made to take a test and have a license these days to use a computer."

            People frequently trumpet this line but they evidently don't know very much about computers themselves. Either that or they haven't bothered giving it the 5 seconds thought necessary to realise that an internet/computer licence would be virtually impossible to implement, almost completely ineffectual anyway and needlessly draconian by necessity (lock down all computers globally so that only desirables can use them - YES PLEASE!)

            It's basically just high tech prejudice, without skin colour to judge you look to IQ and immediately spout: "I don't want THOSE people on my internet" without 2 seconds spent thinking what you even mean when you say "those people". You think Mr Virus Writer will have any trouble getting an internet licence? No, but he's highly intelligent so he's a-ok with you.

  5. lukewarmdog
    Badgers

    So that's all of them then

    "Windows folks daft enough to follow advice contained in unsolicited email messages"

    Hey they already followed advice in unsolicited tv and youtube videos and magazines and on the Internet and installed Windows in the first place.

    "The key is .. sticking them all in the bin." Fixt.

  6. Robert Carnegie Silver badge

    Utterly without scruple

    "attempted to dupe marks into downloading the latest version of iTunes software onto their PCs "

    Good god that's diabolical.

    But at least it wasn't Zune...

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Linux

    malware comes as a zip-based attachment to email messages

    Who in their right mind rums en executable recieved in an email. Why don't the advanced Windows 7 computer disable executables by default. IS it that it can't tell the difference between OPEN and RUN?

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    Near miss

    I read the headline and thought "has the Critical Update Notification Tool (a.k.a. MS Update) been compromised at last?" What a letdown - plain old malware. Oh well. One can still dream...

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