Video Latest Vector For Viruses

According to Trend Micro, antivirus vendor, the creators of malware are becoming popular by spreading viruses through some social networking sites like YouTube and MySpace.

Trend Micro's principal technology consultant, Victor Lo said that the latest attack by a malware called 'js spacetalk.a' is an example of such attack. Because of this trend, computer users should always be alert when they click on links directing them to websites to view videos, as reported by thestar online on July 5, 2007.

The virus found in March this year, on a MySpace page that belonged to a French rock band, is a Trojan horse that directs the user's web browser to install and play a hidden QuickTime movie, when the page is opened. Further, it will assemble the user's MySpace data, which includes login credentials.

PC users get easily attracted and therefore open the harmful links and attachments their friends send to them. Internet users who can be easily lured are the newcomers to the Internet, who carried away by the great deals and those in search of jobs or relationships.

In last November, Lo claims that the attackers took the help of the immense popularity of YouTube and invited users to view an invalid YouTube-like adult site called AdultTuba. According to Lo's estimation around 1321 PCs were infected in Asia, but he does not provide any figures for Malaysia.

He continues that this was used for spreading Troj Zlob.DSI, a Trojan, which downloads adware and spyware without the consent of the user.

F-Secure senior security specialist, Patrik Runald said that there are not so much video files with malware which are being sent across. However, he also adds that this device of spreading malware is not at its critical stage.

As published by AustrianIT on July 3, 2007, McAfee security analyst, Greg Day, said that like the conmen on the street, the hackers are searching for endless ways for exploiting the system of users online.

Technical consultant manager at Symantec Malaysia, Ong Kah Wooi said that the video malware is a new technique for spreading malware and it did not shows many examples yet.

Ong said that probably the hackers are trying their hands to see what type of data they can access. He added that maybe, they want to see people's reactions to video-sharing sites, as published by the thestar online on July 5, 2007.

Related article: Video tributes: New Way to Spam

» SPAMfighter News - 7/21/2007