Windows 7: Avoid Those Windows 7 Downloads

Windows 7 is supposed to be the grand successor to Windows XP.
In reality it should be the successor to Vista, but it is obvious that the company and/or the public never really fully committed to the brave new world of Vista and it simply never managed to take off in a big way.
A few weeks ago, Microsoft announced that the XP operating system would not be phased out in January 2009 as they had intended and would be around for several months more, perhaps heralding a lack of confidence in 7 in the same way that Vista has failed to light up the public imagination.
There are already pirate versions of windows 7 doing the rounds in the dark corners of the internet.
App’s vulnerability specialists, Fortify Software, are warning that these pirate versions, which are said to be early build versions, are a high security risk as they could hide all kinds of unpleasant surprises.
According to the company these P2P download versions of “Build 7000” of 7, potentially could be loaded with all manor of spying and malware, denial of service attacks and other unwanted problems.
The company say that it is foolhardy to contemplate installing this downloaded version of 7, as there is no practical way for the majority of users to have any idea what may be hidden deep within the code, placed there by irritating hackers or serious cyber criminals.

Security vendors warn against leaked Windows 7 downloads
by Stevie Smith - Jan 6 2009, 13:08
With Microsoft Corp. likely to use this week’s CES 2009 trade show to boost interest in its upcoming Windows 7 operating system, security vendors are warning against downloading the recently leaked version that is presently circulating around the Internet.


Be warned: Leaked Windows 7 build could harm your computer's health. Image: Microsoft.

The early build of Windows 7, which is known as “Windows 7 Ultimate Build 7000,” began spreading online last week via a number of well known peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, but those considering a download are running the risk of being blighted by all manner of malware attacks.

Specifically, Rob Rachwald, director of product marketing at security specialist Fortify Software, points to an increase in malware-infected software across the Net, and says the execution of any software downloads should be restricted to trusted outlets and publishers.

Similarly, Rik Ferguson of Trend Micro has said the security vendor “would definitely discourage” online users from downloading or installing any form of software where they could not be completely sure of the source’s reputation.

With Redmond-based Microsoft expected to uncover new aspects connected to its Windows 7 platform in the next few days, the availability of its leaked build could see online criminals targeting the download in order to transfer malicious code into unsuspecting systems.

The Windows 7 operating system, which is being built on the back of Windows Vista, isn’t expected to arrive at full public availability until 2010.

Security experts warn against pirated Windows 7

Early versions on P2P networks could contain malware
Phil Muncaster, vnunet.com 06 Jan 2009

Security experts have urged users to be wary of pirated early versions of Microsoft's forthcoming Windows 7 operating system because they may contain malware.

An early build of Windows 7, labelled 'Windows 7 Ultimate Build 7000', was leaked onto the internet last week, and made widely available for download via several peer-to-peer networks.



Rob Rachwald, director of product marketing at security vendor Fortify, highlighted an increase in software infected with malware being posted on the internet, and warned that users should only download software from a trusted source.

"The whole idea is to exploit something popular, whether it's getting users to download porn or popular software. It's just a clever way to spread malware, " he said.

Rik Ferguson, solutions architect at content security vendor Trend Micro, echoed these sentiments.

"We would definitely discourage people from downloading and installing any software where they cannot be sure of the reliability of the content, or the trustworthiness of the source," he said.

"Pirated software distributed over peer-to-peer communities ranks pretty low on the credibility scale."

It is widely expected that Microsoft will make some significant Windows 7 announcements at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week.

i think it is all bs

well anyone anxious enough to download a leaked beta probably knows how to check the MD5 of the ISO, right?

Of course security experts are going to 'advise' against downloading anything from p2p sites,because they may contain malware..They wouldn't be in that job if they didn't.Like someone said just about everyone knows there is a risk.And thats why hashes are always supplied.Just because it's from p2p doesn't automatically make it dodgy...there is much stuff that hasn't been tampered with.It's the minority of bad downloads that give it a bad name.