Windows 11 Free Download Email SPAM

What is Windows 11 Free Download?

Similar to eFax, Important Documents IRS, and many others, "Windows 11 Free Download" is an email spam campaign that distributes trojan-downloading malware. The distributed emails contain a message inviting users to try out the latest version (11) of the Windows Operating System. The email also contains a malicious attachment presented as the Windows 11 Operating System.

The email simply states that a new version of the Windows Operating System has been released and encourages users to immediately try it out free of charge. This is a scam. At time of research, Windows 11 did not exist. After downloading and opening the attachment, users will infect their systems with a trojan-downloading virus.

This malware connects to a remote server and downloads various trojans. Therefore, opening the "Windows 11 Free Download" attachment results in a chain infection. There are dozens of trojan-type viruses, most of which gather sensitive information (logins/passwords, banking information, etc.) that cyber criminals misuse to generate revenue.

Tracking of such data can lead to significant financial losses and identity theft. Furthermore, some trojans proliferate other viruses (typically, ransomware). 

Therefore, the presence of trojans can lead to other system infections. If you have opened "Windows 11 Free Download" spam campaign attachments, immediately scan the system with a reputable anti-virus/anti-spyware suite and eliminate all detected threats.

Threat Summary:

Name	Windows 11 Free Download spam
Threat Type	Trojan, Password stealing virus, Banking malware, Spyware
Symptoms	Trojans are designed to stealthily infiltrate victim's computer and remain silent thus no particular symptoms are clearly visible on an infected machine.
Distribution methods	Infected email attachments, malicious online advertisements, social engineering, software cracks.
Damage	Stolen banking information, passwords, identity theft, victim's computer added to a botnet.
Malware Removal (Windows)	To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

As mentioned, there are many trojan-type viruses, all of which are very similar. The list of examples includes (but it is not limited to) Adwind, FormBook, TrickBot, and Pony. These viruses are also distributed using spam campaigns, however, in most cases, these campaigns do not promote software/OS.

Users are presented various invoices/bills (in MS Office format) that must be paid, however, ultimately the result is identical - infiltration of high-risk malware that poses a direct threat to your privacy and Internet browsing safety.

How did Windows 11 Free Download infect my computer?

"Windows 11 Free Download" proliferates trojan downloaders by simply tricking users into believing that they are opening a legitimate executable, which is in fact malware. This is unusual behavior for spam campaigns. As mentioned above, malicious attachments typically come in the format of MS Office documents.

After opening them, users are asked to enable macro commands. Once macros are enabled, an attachment immediately executes a number of commands that stealthily download and install malware.

This will only work if attachments are opened using MS Office products (Word, Excel, etc.) Therefore, attachments opened using other apps capable of reading these formats will not be able to download malware. In addition, these spam campaigns typically target Windows OS users and, thus, users who run other platforms are safe.

How to avoid installation of malware?

To prevent this situation, be very cautious when browsing the Internet. Think twice before opening email attachments. If the file seems irrelevant or has been received from a suspicious/unrecognizable email address, it should never be opened.

In addition, some malware is distributed using fake software updaters and a deceptive marketing method called "bundling" (stealth installation of PUPs together with regular software). Therefore, software should be updated using implemented functions or tools provided by the official developer only.

You are also advised to download your apps from official sources only (via direct download links), rather than using third party downloaders/installers. Developers monetize these tools by promoting ("bundling") rogue apps, and thus they should never be used.

The main reasons for computer infections are poor knowledge and careless behavior - the key to safety is caution. If you have already opened a "Windows 11 Free Download" attachment, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

Text presented in the "Windows 11 Free Download" email message:

Subject: Try Windows 11 today trial download now, Windows 11 free download, Try Windows 11 today trial download now, Try Windows 11 today for free, Windows 11 free download

Message: Try The Newest Windows 11 version out today for free, file is attached to this email./p>

Process of malicious executable distributed using "Windows 11 Free Download" spam campaign:

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Quick menu:

• What is Windows 11 Free Download spam?
• Types of malicious emails.
• How to spot a malicious email?
• What to do if you fell for an email scam?

Types of malicious emails:

Phishing Emails

Most commonly, cybercriminals use deceptive emails to trick Internet users into giving away their sensitive private information, for example, login information for various online services, email accounts, or online banking information.

Such attacks are called phishing. In a phishing attack, cybercriminals usually send an email message with some popular service logo (for example, Microsoft, DHL, Amazon, Netflix), create urgency (wrong shipping address, expired password, etc.), and place a link which they hope their potential victims will click on.

After clicking the link presented in such email message, victims are redirected to a fake website that looks identical or extremely similar to the original one. Victims are then asked to enter their password, credit card details, or some other information that gets stolen by cybercriminals.

Emails with Malicious Attachments

Another popular attack vector is email spam with malicious attachments that infect users' computers with malware. Malicious attachments usually carry trojans that are capable of stealing passwords, banking information, and other sensitive information.

In such attacks, cybercriminals' main goal is to trick their potential victims into opening an infected email attachment. To achieve this goal, email messages usually talk about recently received invoices, faxes, or voice messages.

If a potential victim falls for the lure and opens the attachment, their computers get infected, and cybercriminals can collect a lot of sensitive information.

While it's a more complicated method to steal personal information (spam filters and antivirus programs usually detect such attempts), if successful, cybercriminals can get a much wider array of data and can collect information for a long period of time.

Sextortion Emails

This is a type of phishing. In this case, users receive an email claiming that a cybercriminal could access the webcam of the potential victim and has a video recording of one's masturbation.

To get rid of the video, victims are asked to pay a ransom (usually using Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency). Nevertheless, all of these claims are false - users who receive such emails should ignore and delete them.

How to spot a malicious email?

While cyber criminals try to make their lure emails look trustworthy, here are some things that you should look for when trying to spot a phishing email:

• Check the sender's ("from") email address: Hover your mouse over the "from" address and check if it's legitimate. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft, be sure to check if the email address is @microsoft.com and not something suspicious like @m1crosoft.com, @microsfot.com, @account-security-noreply.com, etc.
• Check for generic greetings: If the greeting in the email is "Dear user", "Dear @youremail.com", "Dear valued customer", this should raise suspiciousness. Most commonly, companies call you by your name. Lack of this information could signal a phishing attempt.
• Check the links in the email: Hover your mouse over the link presented in the email, if the link that appears seems suspicious, don't click it. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft and the link in the email shows that it will go to firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0... you shouldn't trust it. It's best not to click any links in the emails but to visit the company website that sent you the email in the first place.
• Don't blindly trust email attachments: Most commonly, legitimate companies will ask you to log in to their website and to view any documents there; if you received an email with an attachment, it's a good idea to scan it with an antivirus application. Infected email attachments are a common attack vector used by cybercriminals.

To minimise the risk of opening phishing and malicious emails we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows. 

Example of a spam email:

What to do if you fell for an email scam?

• If you clicked on a link in a phishing email and entered your password - be sure to change your password as soon as possible. Usually, cybercriminals collect stolen credentials and then sell them to other groups that use them for malicious purposes. If you change your password in a timely manner, there's a chance that criminals won't have enough time to do any damage.
• If you entered your credit card information - contact your bank as soon as possible and explain the situation. There's a good chance that you will need to cancel your compromised credit card and get a new one.
• If you see any signs of identity theft - you should immediately contact the Federal Trade Commission. This institution will collect information about your situation and create a personal recovery plan.
• If you opened a malicious attachment - your computer is probably infected, you should scan it with a reputable antivirus application. For this purpose, we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.
• Help other Internet users - report phishing emails to Anti-Phishing Working Group, FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, National Fraud Information Center and U.S. Department of Justice.

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