Windows 7 Internet getting dangerous.

[Saltgrass]

There was once a time when you might only expect to pick up some malicious software on certain types of websites. It seems now, almost anywhere might expose you to such things.

I was doing something as innocent as looking for the radio frequencies used in Microwave ovens and ended up getting one of the Ransom type of viruses where the warnings pop up and audio starts warning you about viruses.

It appears I was lucky enough to be able to shut down IE and run a virus check. Windows Defender found the "Ransom:JS/Brolo.C" which is one of those which shuts down your system until you pay a ransom.

As far as I know, everything is OK now but I suppose you never can tell when bad things might happen...

 

[Joe S]

It makes you wonder how safe Windows 10 will actually be. Signing in with a MS account, the cloud, automatic updates you can't control, MSE constantly does poorly compared to commercial AV at places like AV Comparatives and a couple others. I've noticed but didn't find a good answer about phone showing in devices when you click on the Windows 10 Network icon and look in devices. Wireles Netwatcher doesn't detect anything and I don't see anything strange connected in the wireless router. MY PC is not wireless and I run Windows 10 on a VM. I just wonder if MS is handing hackers a bunch of new ways to attack
Joe

 

[Saltgrass]

It is interesting because I was wondering if Windows 10 would have had the same reaction to the infected site as Windows 7. Windows 7 may be lacking some improved networking security, but I don't know of anything obvious.

I wish I had check the site's address but it happened so fast I was more interested in shutting down IE, which wasn't that easy.

 

[Neemobeer]

Edge browser will be considerably better since Microsoft has stripped a ton of legacy support. Windows Defender supersedes MSE and protects considerably better. I generally like to pair my AV with EMET for extra protection. I also run one of these bad boys at home Next-Gen Firewall | Network UTM Firewall Appliances | Sophos NGFW call me crazy but I like doing mass country blocking and filter my network traffic incoming and outgoing.

 

[Saltgrass]

My first thought regarding the site, if in fact the virus was from it, was why has someone not reported it and had it quarantined. I suppose the virus may have been obtained from another area and just happened to activate at that time.

But Defender did find it when doing a scan, but did not keep it from being installed. I do usually run a couple of programs, but they are not really good at blocking the virus.

Had I ignored the indications I saw while on the website, hard to say what might have happened if they system was allowed to reboot. I suppose I have been lucky as far as virus infections...