Windows 10 Activation Programs: PUPs and Surveys

[Kumaran]

Content source

https://blog.malwarebytes.org/online-security/2015/02/windows-10-activation-programs-pups-and-surveys/

Leapfrogging from one version of Windows to another is a big deal these days, especially with Windows 7 exiting mainstream support and elsewhere in Windows land the case for abandoning XP is made once more. You’ve probably seen Windows 10 in action by this point – the question here is whether you’ll run that Windows 10 Activator you saw on Youtube (okay, there are other questions but this is the only one we care about right now).

We’ve seen numerous videos uploaded to Youtube claiming to “activate” the full version of Windows 10 from a variety of different accounts.





The videos show a nice looking activation tool complete with some buttons to press (everybody likes button pressing) and the promise of technical preview operating system unlocks galore.

Downloading the files and running them, however, lead us to PUP (Potentially Unwanted Program) offerings (VirusTotal 24 / 57).

We’ve also seen the usual survey hoop jumping for “Windows 10 Pro Final Activated”:

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[akshay1189]

Should it ever point to an executable, advised the curious to think twice

 

[jamescv7]

These are very common tactics and its easy to disguised since you are redirecting to malvertized websites + illegal process already which it can deceive from what is the reality.