Communist Rule’s 60th Anniversary Triggers Malware Attacks

The security experts have reported that overseas media in China have been attacked by e-mails loaded with spiteful software, which seems to have connection with the impending 60th anniversary of the Communist rule over the Chinese mainland.

The malicious mails are written in good English. Also, it appears as a request by an imaginary economics editor known as Pam Bouron to arrange interviews beforehand of an alleged visit to Beijing. It also has an attached Adobe PDF file that carries mainly correct list of local contacts.

In addition, the messages were customized so that it seems that Bouron worked for every single attacked news agency, including Reuters, Dow Jones, the Straits Times, AFP, and Italian news agency Ansa.

But, when opened, the file downloads malware - that is software that infects the system and usually leaves it under the complete control of a remote user - on the users' PCs.

Although viral attacks and spam are common, the recent wave is a portion of a pattern of highly sophisticated mails personalized to lure foreign media personnel, rights activists as well as other targets into opening malicious attachments.

Hitherto, reporters in Shanghai and Beijing have witnessed spiteful mails with attachments that try to exploit vulnerabilities in Adobe's Reader software.

Also, the recent wave of attacks is also about forwarding kosher e-mails from activist groups along with a phony malware-laden attachment. Moreover, e-mail addresses are spoofed to camouflage their true source.

But, it seems that Reuters trapped the wind of this story as there is no such employee known as Pam Bouron working with them.

According to security experts, the overall objective of the malware is still unexplored. Also, Reuters did not talk about any probing or research in regard of malicious attachments. But, they did observe that same kind of e-mails emerged shortly before the 2008 Olympics.

Nicholas Bequelin of Human Rights Watch in Hong Kong, said in a statement there is surely some pattern of virus assaults lining up to for some important dates on political calendar of China, as per the news published by nytimes.com on September 22, 2009.

Related article: Chinese Hackers Threatening Korean Game Sites

» SPAMfighter News - 10/1/2009