- May 3, 2011
- 3,893
- Fake Java update alertA new Java update scam is currently circulating online in search of fresh victims. It alerts the computer user that, in order to view some video content, they have to update to an odd Java 13.6.
Cybercriminals can resort to various ways to show a potential victim the update alert message. They generally use social networks to promote fake footage of some important event.
When the user tries to access the content they are served with the alert. Complying with the request leads to a different website that usually offers potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) for download. In this case, the money-making scheme profits from affiliate marketing models that are used to promote various software.
According to Onlinethreatalerts, in this case the crooks take the potential victim to www[.]my-movie-player[.]com, and from there to another location that serves malicious content.
The interesting part is that the crooks require the user to install an update to version 13.6 of Java. An unsuspecting user may fall for the trick, but more knowledgeable ones are aware that Java has recently moved to version 8 and Oracle released build 9 as an early access to developers.
Before proceeding to install software updates, our recommendation is to verify the latest release straight from the developer or from a reputable source.
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