14 DAY TRIAL // Ads bundled into Windows 10 apps available for users from the Microsoft Store point users to deceptive campaigns eventually trying to deploy malware on their devices.
Most of the fraudulent ads warn of malware infections and prompt users to perform scans with fake security solutions that could eventually compromise their devices.
Some of these ads load websites that resemble the design of Microsoft’s support pages in an attempt to convince users to “scan” their devices.
“Your PC is infected with 3 viruses. Our security check found traces of 2 malware and 1 phishing/spyware. System damage: 29.1% - immediate removal required. 4 minute and 2 seconds remaining before damage is permanent,” one such deceptive website caught in a screenshot published by BornCity reads.
“Your Microsoft Windows system is currently out of date and corrupted. This causes automatic deletion of your system files. Follow the instructions immediately to resolve this problem and make sure your system stays up to date,” a message shown on the page reads.
Just close the windows
Needless to say, there’s no malware infection on these devices, but inexperienced users can easily be tricked into downloading the fake security apps. In most of the cases, closing the browser window warning of malware infections is enough to simply keep the device protected, albeit it’s pretty clear that Microsoft itself needs to block the ads too.
These fraudulent ads are served through Microsoft’s ad network, so while they aren’t a malware infection per se, they are being used as the first step in a multi-stage attack which could eventually lead to malware deployed on target’s devices.
Microsoft hasn’t offered any comments on this campaign of pushing deceptive ads through its ad network and Windows 10 apps, but we have reached out to the company for more information and will post an update when more information is available.