Fake AV Programs Increasing, Highlights GFI within New Monthly Report

GFI Software, which released its February 2012 report, emphasizes on the continuously increasing number of fake anti-viruses, while states that fresh variants of such software considerably rose during February 2012.

The security company also highlights that several rogue or fake anti-virus applications are getting disseminated through spam mails carrying malevolent web-links connecting with the BlackHole attack toolkit helpful for cyber-criminals to exploit yet-to-be-patched security flaws within software programs of major developers like Adobe Systems Inc. and Microsoft Corp. Web-surfers contaminated with fake AV may get diverted onto spoofed sites, be affected with software that falsely run computer-scans, while actually hijack systems, or become inflicted with e-mails alerting about computer threats, particularly viruses. Basically, when these tactics to scare end-users are applied, the latter gets deceived into giving out their credit card information during so-called purchases of security software that actually don't exist.

Remarking about this development, Senior Threat Researcher Christopher Boyd at GFI Software stated that although the high speed of fake AVs' successful proliferation might've become slower as 2011 approached its end, the rogues were surely back at present as also they continued to be greatly popular among Internet-crooks. Help Net Security published this on March 9, 2012.

Furthermore alongside the above, GFI also talks about Kelihos botnet's revival, which, via the joint task force of Kaspersky Labs and Microsoft, was shutdown in 2011.

Previously this year (2012), according to Microsoft, the main person planning Kelihos' operations was Andrey Sabelnikov from Russia. When accused, Sabelnikov was actually residing inside USA, however, fast came back to Russia claiming innocence. From that time, clues, which the industry researchers uncovered, show that one fresh variant has been unleashed which's again building the botnet for pumping more spam worldwide, blogs GFI. It (GFI) adds that Kelihos could dispatch spam mails counting to billions within just 24-hrs., commonly pertaining to rogue pharmacies, Viagra or pornography. Infoosecurity-magazine.com published this on March 9, 2012.

Finally, GFI, in its report, discusses Stephanie Meyer, author of Twilight, whose personal website got hijacked and then used for harboring the Crimepack attack kit, apparently contaminating anyone who visited the site through un-patched Web-browsers.

Related article: Fake Spam Mail Announces Australian PM’s Heart Attack

» SPAMfighter News - 3/19/2012