So it installs legitimate Windows 11 then?
this post was submitted on 28 Feb 2026
249 points (96.3% liked)
Technology
82070 readers
5135 users here now
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
Our Rules
- Follow the lemmy.world rules.
- Only tech related news or articles.
- Be excellent to each other!
- Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
- Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
- Politics threads may be removed.
- No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
- Only approved bots from the list below, this includes using AI responses and summaries. To ask if your bot can be added please contact a mod.
- Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed
- Accounts 7 days and younger will have their posts automatically removed.
Approved Bots
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
Get out of my head lmao
I'm soooo removed from this issue it's almost funny
This reads like an Onion joke.
'Cause it's got layers!
There's at least four different reasons this nonsense wouldn't affect me, LOL. (I don't use Facebook, don't want Windows 11, don't see ads because they're blocked, and can't run Windows malware because Linux.)
So, Windows AND another malware?
I'll take "what's a tautology" for $100, thanks Alex
[This could be a joke about Windows 11 being malware in the first place]
Stop using Facebook, ffs
If you're still on facebook you deserve a free windows 11 upgrade to be honest.
Or Instagram for that matter.
Or worse, with windows
Edit: 2/3 of the other comments at the time of writing are making basically the same joke. I love Lemmy
Windows? Facebook?
lol
Nicholas_Cage_Really.gif
The malicious domains will also try to accept only real PC users. If it detects an internet visit coming from a bot or an automated check from a security researcher, the domains will redirect the traffic to Google.com. “If you pass the checks, the site downloads a file named ms-update32.exe. At 75MB, it feels like a legitimate Windows installer,” Malwarebytes says.
They are getting more sophisticated. So it's a copy of licences and installer. Naturally, the only legitimate means to have that is windows update from the menù, but if you didn't know...
Perfect. Right in the center of the idiots' Venn diagram.
Fuck Windows to hell.
That’s terrible bait, surprised if it’s working.
I imagine a good number of people will fall for this. Tech illiteracy is the norm.
That’s a silly malware vector though, because everyone still stuck on windows prefers W10 to W11
The kind of people that fall for this probably has a good overlap with those sick of the "upgrade!!!!" Windows Popups.
The oldest trick in the book
So.... the advertiser is Microsoft, and the malware is Windows 11 Pro. Ohh I'm so surprised
My Mac and I would like to see it try. Malware? It's a Mac. (Mac malware exists, but this is probably/likely made for Windows.) Actual Windows? Not in this ~~Christian server~~ M2 Pro.
You can run actual Windows in a hypervisor, and have all malware you want for everything inside that hypervisor, and also hypervisor escape is a thing if you have something like guest additions with access to host filesystem etc.
Attack surface is smaller.