Malware can get on your device a number of ways. Email attachments. Through vulnerabilities in out-dated or unsupported software. Zero day attacks. Even through existing malware infections.

It can also get onto a computer if the user downloads it directly from the Internet. A user wouldn’t do this intentionally of course, but crooks have some tricks up their sleeves. Here are five popular ways crooks trick users into downloading malware from the Internet.

Fake video update/plugins

Internet users love videos. Video consumption has increased dramatically over the last handful of years. Crooks try to cash in on this by using videos as bait to trick Internet surfers into downloading harmful files by claiming they need to download something to watch them.

See the images below.

If you’re on a website you don’t trust and it asks you to download something like a “flash update”, or a “video plugin” or a “video codec” in order to watch a video, there’s a good chance it’s actually malware. Sometimes the webpage make look legitimate (i.e. YouTube) but it’s a spoof website. Always check the web address at the top.

Quite often these scams start with a social media message urging you to watch a video, before giving you a link to watch it, and that link directs you to the malicious website.

Scareware

Scareware is a tactic used by crooks to trick a user into believing they have malware, and that they need to download antivirus to remove the infection. However the antivirus download is actually malware.

The user will see pop-up claiming their device is infected with malware and to click a link to download antivirus. Alternatively the victim may be asked to call a phone number, which will go through to the crooks who then dupe the victim into installing malware.

The pop-ups may appear to look like legitimate antivirus companies.
 

Fake competitions

Competitions and giveaways are usually ample motivation to lure victims into downloading almost anything onto their computers, among other things. Website can show pop-ups that claim you can win expensive prizes by downloading apps, but these are likely to be malware.

The above uses gift cards as bait.

Fake video games, or video game extensions

When Farmville became a global sensation thanks to Facebook, countless scams proliferating online claiming to offer various freebies and special features, or even the game itself – most of which were actually nasty malware infections.

Farmville may have nearly disappeared, but this scheme hasn’t. Watch out for pop-ups and adverts offering free versions of popular games or extensions for games like Minecraft, Call of Duty and Fortnite. Only download games and game features from their official sources.

Fake Updates

We discussed fake video updates in the first point, but further to that, watch out for fake updates for software such as your online browser or for Windows.

Updates to your browser are applied automatically, or if you’ve changed that, you can update your browser through its settings. Likewise, Windows updates are automatic, but if not, they can be done through the Control Panel. Don’t trust pop-ups or adverts claiming your software is out-of-date.