- Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) refutes claims from security experts Check Point (NASDAQ:CHKP) that the Fireball virus found earlier this month infected 250M computers, which would far exceed the 200K infected at WannaCry’s peak.
- In a blog post, Hamish O’Dea from the Windows Defender Research team outlined how the company has traced Fireball since 2015 and hasn’t seen Fireball-related malware infections in any more than 5M devices.
- Fireball changes an infected computer’s home page setting to take the user to fake home pages to collect ad revenue from the sites. Microsoft claims that Check Point only counted traffic to the fake sites, which doesn’t account for users who found it through organic, non-virus means.
- Microsoft has asked to see Check Point’s data and the security company is complying.