- Jan 24, 2011
- 9,378
Wouldn’t it be a shame if, in trying to secure your PC, you inadvertently install malware and run the risk of being scammed?
We recently discovered a threat detected as SupportScam:MSIL/Hicurdismos.A that pretends to be a Microsoft Security Essentials installer. Microsoft Security Essentials is our antimalware product for Windows 7 and earlier. In Windows 10 and Windows 8, Windows Defender provides antimalware protection and is installed and enabled by default when Windows is installed. However, some users may believe they also need to download and install Microsoft Security Essentials.
Hicurdismos uses a fake Windows error message (sometimes called a “blue screen of death”, or BSoD) to launch a technical support scam. A real BSoD is a fatal error in which the screen turns blue and the computer crashes. Recovery from a BSoD error typically requires the user to reboot the computer.
The fake BSoD screen includes a note to contact technical support. Calling the indicated support number will not fix the BSoD, but may lead to users being encouraged to download more malware under the guise of support tools or software that is supposed to fix a problem that doesn’t exist.
Interestingly, the fake BSoD screen used by Hicurdismos mimics an error message used in Windows 8 and Windows 10, so users of these new Windows versions could also be at risk of being tricked by Hicurdismos.
The threat of technical support scams has been around for years, but it’s recently been observed to be growing. We’ve seen attackers becoming more sophisticated with their social engineering tactics to try to mislead users into calling for technical support and then they are asked for payment to “fix the problem” on the PC that does not exist. Real error messages from Microsoft do not include support contact details. See the bottom of this blog for links and information on how to contact Microsoft Support.
Figure 1. Hicurdismos displays a fake BSoD message that has contact details for fake support. Note: The real messages do not include support contact details, nor when you call for support are you asked for payment.
Hicurdismos is an installer that arrives via a drive-by download. SmartScreen Filter in Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge flags this threat using the below prompts cautioning the user to not run or save the malware:
You will not get warnings like these when downloading and installing legitimate programs from Microsoft.
If the malicious installer is downloaded on the computer, it mimics the real Microsoft Security Essentials installer by using a similar icon. However, closer inspection will reveal differences in the file properties, including the filename. Hicurdismos uses the file name setup.exe.
Figure 2. SmartScreen message notifying you about running an executable file that could harm your PC.
Read more: Beware of Hicurdismos: It’s a fake Microsoft Security Essentials installer that can lead to a support call scam
We recently discovered a threat detected as SupportScam:MSIL/Hicurdismos.A that pretends to be a Microsoft Security Essentials installer. Microsoft Security Essentials is our antimalware product for Windows 7 and earlier. In Windows 10 and Windows 8, Windows Defender provides antimalware protection and is installed and enabled by default when Windows is installed. However, some users may believe they also need to download and install Microsoft Security Essentials.
Hicurdismos uses a fake Windows error message (sometimes called a “blue screen of death”, or BSoD) to launch a technical support scam. A real BSoD is a fatal error in which the screen turns blue and the computer crashes. Recovery from a BSoD error typically requires the user to reboot the computer.
The fake BSoD screen includes a note to contact technical support. Calling the indicated support number will not fix the BSoD, but may lead to users being encouraged to download more malware under the guise of support tools or software that is supposed to fix a problem that doesn’t exist.
Interestingly, the fake BSoD screen used by Hicurdismos mimics an error message used in Windows 8 and Windows 10, so users of these new Windows versions could also be at risk of being tricked by Hicurdismos.
The threat of technical support scams has been around for years, but it’s recently been observed to be growing. We’ve seen attackers becoming more sophisticated with their social engineering tactics to try to mislead users into calling for technical support and then they are asked for payment to “fix the problem” on the PC that does not exist. Real error messages from Microsoft do not include support contact details. See the bottom of this blog for links and information on how to contact Microsoft Support.
Figure 1. Hicurdismos displays a fake BSoD message that has contact details for fake support. Note: The real messages do not include support contact details, nor when you call for support are you asked for payment.
Hicurdismos is an installer that arrives via a drive-by download. SmartScreen Filter in Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge flags this threat using the below prompts cautioning the user to not run or save the malware:
You will not get warnings like these when downloading and installing legitimate programs from Microsoft.
If the malicious installer is downloaded on the computer, it mimics the real Microsoft Security Essentials installer by using a similar icon. However, closer inspection will reveal differences in the file properties, including the filename. Hicurdismos uses the file name setup.exe.
Figure 2. SmartScreen message notifying you about running an executable file that could harm your PC.
Read more: Beware of Hicurdismos: It’s a fake Microsoft Security Essentials installer that can lead to a support call scam
