Fake video sites and associated downloads look like they will be the proverbial pain in the keyboard for Internet users this year as criminals shift their efforts to them to get malware on computers.
Those readers who presently benefit from many years of computing experience may recall the legendary Trojan horse called Sexy Ladies that was given away at MacWorld Expo nineteen years ago. While viewing the images, the Trojan would dutifully wipe out one’s hard drive in the background.
In an age of constant threats to the Windows platform, it’s very strange to read Apple’s official site and see the phrase, “Viruses Are Not Unique to the Macintosh.” Especially now that malware is beginning to rise to match the interest in online videos; unlike Sexy Ladies, this malware threat centers on Windows.
McAfee blogger Bhaskar Krishna has warned on the Avert Labs blog that a malware object disguised as a media object has been found online. The malware purveyors have created a plausible-looking site for their “Video Access ActiveX Object (VAX), which is a new way to access free multimedia content on the Internet,” Krishna wrote.
The malware leads to a fake adult video site. Clicking on a video link drops a variant of Puper on the user’s machine if they accept the download.
Once in place the malware changes Internet Explorer’s home page and search page, and monitors what the browser visits online. Since such products usually report their findings back to a controller, it is likely this one does so as well, and that could lead to fraud and identity theft problems.
Lots of sites have taken video to heart, and embraced it as the next big thing online to the point where someday it will be unusual to find a site or blog without it. Viewing video without a firewall and antivirus software in place might give the system the equivalent of coronary disease, so surf with care.
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David Utter is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business.
