I watched my friend's kid get a 'free game' and it was a total security mess

He clicked a pop-up ad on a sketchy site, downloaded a file called 'game_setup.exe', and ran it without a second thought. The whole thing took maybe 30 seconds. I had to explain that you can't just run files from anywhere, and that 'free' often means malware. It made me realize how many people still don't get the basics of checking downloads. What's the simplest way you teach someone to spot a risky file?

3 comments

3 Comments

phoenix_thompson49d ago

What site was he even on when that pop-up showed up?

max4159d ago

Doubt it was even a real virus warning. Those fake "your computer is infected" pop-ups have been around forever. Probably just clicked on some sketchy streaming site or a dodgy ad. Happens all the time. Not exactly a national security crisis.

murphy.linda5d ago

Exactly what phoenix_thompson4 is asking. Who cares what site it was? Those fake warnings pop up on totally normal sites all the time from bad ads. It's just scareware trying to trick people into calling some fake tech support number. This whole thing is being blown way out of proportion for something that happens every single day. Not exactly a sign of some major hack.