How to Tell that a Microsoft Security Warning is Legitimate – Guide
Microsoft fake security alerts have been around for many years, but they are becoming much more problematic because many of these fake security warnings are very convincing and many of the world’s knowledge workers are still working from home as a result of the pandemic. Instead of working from consolidated corporate desktops integrated into a domain, these users often work from their own personal devices. This means that users who fall for a fake Microsoft security alert can put their personal and work environment at risk. As part of a security awareness program, it is important to teach end users what to look for to determine whether a Microsoft security alert is legitimate. ..
Microsoft Security Alerts: Signs of Fraud
If you see a security alert in a web browser, it is almost certainly fraudulent. While it’s true that a browser can occasionally indicate that a website you are about to visit is unsafe, Microsoft does not place warning messages inside the browser indicating that your computer has been compromised and that you need to download a patch or contact the technician Support, support. It is also important for users to know that Microsoft support does not contact people to let them know that their computers have been compromised. All these links are fraudulent.
Other signs that a security alert is fake can include text being read by a robotic voice, an alert being displayed in a way that’s hard to get rid of, or prompts indicating that you need to pay for support using any of the cryptographic coins or gift cards.
How legitimate Microsoft security alerts are displayed
When Microsoft security alerts are displayed within Windows, it is normal for a black pop-up to briefly appear in the lower right corner of the screen. When this alert is cleared, it will also be listed in the Windows Action Center. ..
The security alert shown in Figure 1 is a false alarm.
If a message indicates that Windows Firewall has been disabled, it’s easy to go into Settings to see if the firewall is really disabled. If the firewall is still enabled, the message is probably fake. ..
Figure 3: Windows security screen comes back up with a warning indicating a problem with the Windows firewall. ..
Final note
How to Tell that a Microsoft Security Warning is Legitimate ..
