Fun Video Link Spreads Malware On Twitter

A malware assault has hit Twitter, the social-networking website, and it is spreading through "zombie" accounts for the promotion of an online site that apparently offers a web-link to a humorous video.

The accounts help for the spread of the link across websites, which with trend mapping features display well-known web-links on Twitter. According to security researchers, many unwary Web-surfers have already been victimized.

Furthermore, the online crooks are dispatching e-mails having widely recognized hashtags. The text in the messages says that an attached video is very funny and not the kind seen earlier. Thereafter, a condensed web-link is provided. Users find these e-mails while searching the web for breaking news stories on Twitter.

The condensed web-links within the Tweets lead onto a page associated with pc-tv.tv that with the help of a malicious JavaScript plants a banking Trojan and keylogger pack on the victim computers.

Kaspersky Lab's researcher Dmitry Bestuzhev elaborated that the attack downloads the first Trojan onto the victimized system using a hostile Java exploit, reported eWeek SECURITY WATCH on May 20, 2010.

A number of malicious features mark the malware pack. These include its tendency to proliferate via USB devices and turning off the regedit program, Windows task manager and notices from Windows Security Center.

The malware also makes its own replica on the PC and labels it as Live Messenger. An anti-virtualization utility is also included, i.e. the malware examines whether or not the infected computer's hard drive is virtualized, and in case it finds the machine to be one, it prevents itself from being executed.

Meanwhile, according to the security researchers, the Trojan is expected to be extremely dangerous as it primarily tries to steal credit card details and Internet banking credentials from the affected PC.

In addition to this, users are advised to be very careful and updated install antivirus software onto their PCs to avoid being victim of the crime.

Hence, Mikko Hypponen, security researcher for F-Secure suggests that computer users who don't require Java inside their Web-browser must inactivate it so so as to block this malware assault. HELP NET SECURITY published this on May 20, 2010.

Finally, users must deploy an up-to-date anti-virus solution to keep themselves farther from the crime.

Related article: FNWA Alerts Residents about Trojan-laced Scam E-mails

» SPAMfighter News - 5/29/2010