Fake software update sites are not new, but they are becoming more automated. They appear quickly, copy the look of the real pages, and disappear again when they are reported. The next version looks the same, just generated slightly differently.
Some of these sites work like a watering hole. Instead of targeting people directly, attackers copy a page they know people will visit. The fake version sits in the same place, waiting for anyone who arrives. Everything looks familiar, so nothing stands out.
They also show up in search engines. A copied page can be pushed high enough in the results to look legitimate. It appears alongside the real site, sometimes above it, and becomes another place for people to land without noticing anything unusual.
The pages match the branding closely. Logos, colours and layout are copied well enough that they pass at a glance. It feels like the usual place to download an update.
The difference is in the file. The installer is not the genuine one. It contains malware packaged to behave like a normal update. It opens the same way and doesn’t show anything unusual.
Once installed, the malware behaves in different ways. Some versions encrypt files. Others allow remote access. A few sit quietly and wait. All of them arrive disguised as something routine.
It’s easy to miss. The page looks right, the download looks right, and the update appears to run normally. The only difference is what happens afterwards.