Malware Aims to Evade Windows 7 Safeguards
Experts agree that Windows 7 has enhanced security to ward off attacks on vulnerabilities in old software. But what if a money-minded online scammer can persuade you to download malware onto your PC?
"Windows 7 is more secure, and upgrading to it is a big improvement," says Chester Wisniewski, a senior security advisor with software-maker Sophos. "But it's not going to stop malware in its tracks."
Digital crooks generally use two tactics to install malware on a PC. Exploits often take the form of a snippet of attack code hidden on a Web page--often a hacked-but-otherwise-benign site. When you browse the page, the exploit hunts for software flaws in Windows or in third-party programs such as Adobe Flash or QuickTime. If it finds one, the exploit may surreptitiously install malware without any hint of the attack.
