Child Porn Fraud Compromises Russian Computers

According to BitDefender, cyber-criminals in Russia, while making untrue charges about child pornography, are adding actual software harm within one fresh scam, which tries wringing 500 rubles ($17) out of victimized individuals. MalwareCity.com published this on September 5, 2011.

The software damage culminates from a malicious Trojan named Trojan.Agent.ARVP that's disseminated through innocuous-appearing web-links. When contaminated, the victim gets an alert that there are evidences of child pornography on his PC; therefore, he has to make a payment as fine. Further, the demand is hastened with the Trojan malware effectively locking the PC that can be restored only after paying the ransom.

However, the problem doesn't end there. The Trojan, in addition to alerting the victim, compromises his PC, exhibiting a message, which covers the screen except 10% of it as also stops the systems' OS from functioning appropriately, BitDefender says.

Meanwhile, the scam is a continuation of what Russian cyber-criminal groups have been conventionally and particularly doing i.e., presenting bogus anti-virus software alternatively committing the "Russian bride fraud" that attempts at defrauding North American or European men off their bank balances via the pretense of being attractive Russian females looking for foreign-based grooms. Currently, the child-pornography fraud attacks Russian speakers though these assaults are frequently found converted into English as well as other languages for disseminating wider.

To eradicate them and restoring hold over one's PCs, money is demanded from the computer-owner that must be paid in 12-hrs, failing which police will be reported of his offence, while the user will find the entire data on his PC deleted or locked.

And though an especially nasty lure is employed within this scam, its format is almost like a "scareware" exploit, wherein a victimized individual is coerced via fear about PC-malfunction into buying computer programs that are really useless.

Nevertheless, security alerts like this ought to incite doubt. For, an agency for law enforcement will rarely contact anyone online for collecting fines in connection with a so-called breach. Further, for keeping off such scams, it's recommended that end-users examine web-links they encounter as well as avoid following URLs they haven't particularly hunted for.

Related article: Child Porn Lands Man in Jail

» SPAMfighter News - 9/16/2011