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Today I received a “Security Notice” from Comcast (aka Xfinity).  They claimed to have detected that I MAY have been infected…  That’s right, they didn’t say that my computers ARE infected, they are basically just guessing.

Now, normally I would just take this as polite advice to check my security systems… But, then it dawned on me that the general public is not like me, many people may read this notice from Comcast and become quite panicked.

Of course I realize what they are up to when I see the link they provide to offer you “help” brings you right into a sales webpage obviously promoting their new “XFINITY SIGNATURE SUPPORT”.  This is a scare tactic, plain and simple.  And it’s a shame that Comcast has resorted to this as a way to boost it’s sales.

Still, erring on the side of caution, I ran a full security scan of my home network and all my computers.  Everything came up 100% clean with multiple tools from various vendors.

I then started to do some Google searches on the wording used in the Comcast email itself and found numerous others who have expressed what is basically the same gut feeling that I had, this is nothing more than a pathetic scare tactic on the part of Comcast.

Be warned

Comcast has not suddenly grown a conscience while changing their name to Xfinity, they are not trying to help all of us, they just want our money as per the usual.

If you are still worried that the threat may in fact be real, feel free to contact me through my company website and I will check your system out for one fifth the cost that Xfintiy Signature Support would charge you.

Or, you could always just scan your own system with up-to-date antivirus software, run all your Windows updates, then maybe run a final scan with Malwarebytes, it’s free and very reliable in cleaning things that antivirus can miss.  Just don’t throw your money away by giving more of it to Comcast.

Here is the actual notice from Comcast / Xfinity

Dear XFINITY Customer,

Constant Guard from XFINITY identified that one or more of your computers may be infected with a bot. A bot is a malicious form of software that is used to send spam, host a phishing site, or steal your identity by monitoring your keystrokes without your knowledge. It may be possible you are unaware that your computer is infected with a bot.
We strongly recommend you visit XFINITY.com/BotAssistance (http://www.xfinity.com/botassistance/?CMP=EMC-Email1&utm_source=Notification&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Email1) for important information on how to remove malicious software from your computer(s).

We appreciate your prompt attention to this important security notice.

Sincerely,

Constant Guard from XFINITY