Cyber criminals look to exploit interest in Windows 8

Two cyber threats targeting early adopters of Microsoft's recently launched Windows 8 operating system have been discovered.

Trend Micro detected the TROJ_FAKEAV.EHM malware and a phishing email scam targeting Windows 8 customers on Wednesday.

The malware is reportedly hosted and spread via a number of malicious sites. It infects machines by bringing up a fake scanning result window that aims to dupe its victims into purchasing a bogus antivirus program for Windows 8.

The phishing email looks to fool users into handing over sensitive data, like their email address and password, by masquerading as a fake, free Windows 8 download offer.

Trend Micro researcher Gelo Abendan said that while dangerous, the appearance of the scams is unsurprising.

"It is typical for cyber criminals to piggyback on the highly-anticipated release of any latest technology to take their malware, spam, malicious app to new heights," wrote Abendan.

"The appearance of the Instagram app we previously reported coincided with the news of Facebook's acquisition of the photo sharing app. Similarly, malicious versions of Bad Piggies surfaced right after the app's launch."

The scams are two of many discovered targeting the Windows ecosystem that crop up. Earlier in October a similar malicious email scam pretending to be an e-ticket receipt was uncovered targeting British Airways customers.