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Beware scam Windows 10 download emails

Elizabeth Weise
USA TODAY
A ransomware screen shot that comes up when users click on scam email claiming to include a Windows 10 upgrade. Cisco Systems researchers first reported the scam.

SAN FRANCISCO - Security experts are warning of scam emails claiming to help users download Windows 10 that instead install ransomware on users' computers.

The scammers are taking advantage of Microsoft's release last week of Windows 10. The operating system is available as a free upgrade to users running Windows 7 or Windows 8.

Cisco Systems reported scam emails that, while they looked as if they were coming from Microsoft, were actually being send from Thailand. They're easy to spot because the message includes spelling errors and stray non-English characters.

Downloading the attached file installs ransomware on the user's computer, locking all files and demanding payment within 96 hours to have them unlocked.

To avoid getting scammed, don't click on any attachments you weren't expecting and be wary of download links in email messages from unknown sources.

Microsoft is not distributing Windows 10 via unsolicited emails. Instead, users must reserve a copy of Windows 10 which will be automatically downloaded onto their system.

To defend against these emails, computer security experts say the most important step is to back up your computer daily.

Once ransomware is installed, the easiest and cheapest route to deal with it is to clean the machine and install a recent backup. But if the user doesn't have a current backup, fixing things is a long, and expensive, slog.

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