Fake Windows 11 installers are used to infect PC with malware

Windows 11 was officially unveiled by Microsoft on July 24. rogue installers of the new operating system are being used by criminals to infect users' PCs with malware.

Windows Insider is the only official way to get Windows 11 right now. With the help of Microsoft's Windows Update program, users can download a trial version of the new operating system. Although Microsoft hasn't released an ISO for clean installation, that hasn't stopped criminals from distributing fake versions of the operating system's installer.

As a result, many users are still downloading Windows 11 from other sources, which contain malicious programs offered by cybercriminals instead of the operating system, according to Kaspersky Labs.

According to an alert from security company Kaspersky, criminals are distributing a file with the name " 86307_windows 11 build 21996.1 x64 + activator.exe". It is approximately 1.7 GB in size, this space is occupied by a DLL file full of useless information. If the user clicks on the supposed installer, they will see a screen like the one below that says that the file is a download manager, which will download and install Windows 11, activate it and install additional applications ”: 

If the user continues, various malicious applications will be installed on the computer. Kaspersky says that adware (applications that display ads) and Trojans, programs created specifically to steal users' login credentials, are installed. The security company said its solutions have detected thousands of infection attempts using bogus Windows 11 installers as bait.

Kaspersky's recommendation for users interested in trying Windows 11 is to join the Windows Insider program , or wait until the official ISO is available.