Summary
A new scam uses a fake email and claims to be the newest release of Skype's software, when it actually is malware that installs itself. The Trojan is not widespread, but users should still be wary of opening unfamiliar attachments.
Original source:
http://www.techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?newsid=4619&page=1&pagepos=0
Details
A new Trojan doing the rounds is aimed at Skype users by pretending to be the newest release of the company's Net telephone software.
It is instead a variant of the IRCbot Trojan horse, according to MessageLabs.
An ever-growing amount of unsolicited e-mail, or spam, contains malicious software, as criminal groups seek to infect computers with malware in order to add new systems to their botnets, or zombie networks, used illegally to distribute spam, said Alexander Peters, an anti-virus researcher at MessageLabs.
"These groups are always looking for machines to keep their networks alive," he said.
"It's a huge problem, and spam, which today is almost inseparable from malware, is at the heart of it."
Users who launch the attachment see a fake "installation error" box on their screens, according to MessageLabs.
What is actually happening, however, is that the malware is installing itself, altering the registry and shutting down shared access and Microsoft's Windows update services.
It then tries to connect to an IRC server but fails.
Although the Trojan is not widespread, it is still circulating, according to Peters.
"What has drawn attention to this particular Trojan - and not the many other Trojans out there in cyberspace - is the fact that this malware is part of a well orchestrated phishing attack based on a very convincing e-mail that uses the name of a widely familiar company and a timely occasion: the release of a new software version," Peters said.
"Users should never open attachments from untrusted senders."
The company said in a statement that it doesn't use e-mail to inform users the latest version of its
software and uses digital signatures to ensure that its software releases are valid.
About the author: Mike Adams is a natural health author and award-winning journalist with a mission to teach personal and planetary health to the public He has authored and published thousands of articles, interviews, consumers guides, and books on topics like health and the environment, and he is well known as the creator of popular downloadable preparedness programs on financial collapse, emergency food storage, wilderness survival and home defense skills. Adams is an independent journalist with strong ethics who does not get paid to write articles about any product or company. In mid 2010, Adams produced TV.NaturalNews.com, a natural health video sharing website offering user-generated videos on nutrition, green living, fitness and more. He also founded an environmentally-friendly online retailer called BetterLifeGoods.com that uses retail profits to help support consumer advocacy programs. He's also a successful software entrepreneur, having founded a well known email marketing software company whose technology currently powers the NaturalNews email newsletters. Adams also serves as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a non-profit consumer protection group, and regularly pursues cycling, nature photography, Capoeira and Pilates. Known by his callsign, the 'Health Ranger,' Adams posts his missions statements, health statistics and health photos at www.HealthRanger.org
Have comments on this article? Post them here:
people have commented on this article.
Friday, November 18, 2005
Email this article to a friend
Share
this article on: 
