Warning: My kid almost got me with a fake game download link

Last Tuesday, my son was on my laptop trying to get a free game mod. He clicked a link that looked real but it started downloading a weird .exe file named 'setup_helper.zip'. I caught it because Windows Defender popped up a red flag I'd never seen before, something about a 'Trojan:Script/Wacatac.B!ml'. I made him cancel it, ran a full scan (which took about 45 minutes), and then had to explain to a 10-year-old why you never click download links in forum comments. Has anyone else had to deal with a sneaky fake game installer? What's the best way to explain this stuff to kids without scaring them?

3 comments

3 Comments

karen3611mo ago

Used to think kids were safe, this changed my mind lol.

daniel1401mo ago

Yeah, that's a rough one to see, @karen361. Watched my nephew the other day and he somehow got a whole marble stuck in his nose in the two seconds I looked away. Had to make a whole trip to the clinic. Makes you realize they can find trouble anywhere, even in a totally baby-proofed room. It really does change how you see things.

matthewdixon1mo ago

Even the quiet ones can find a way to eat a marker cap when you blink.