09.16.09
Security Links: ‘Fake Viruses’, Scareware, Botnets, and Malware
Summary: News about things that do not affect Free software users
• NYTimes.com Users Hit by Malicious Ad
• Fake virus infection Web pages are everywhere
Everyone has seen a fake virus infection Web page from time to time. They pop up on your screen looking like a perfectly normal Windows page except they tell you that your PC is infected by a virus and you need to click here to either fix the problem or download a program that will clean out the bug for you. The only problem is it’s a lie. It’s actually an attack designed to get you to download malware.
Usually these fake Windows pages-they’re actually Web pages-pop up when you’re visiting a dodgy Web site. But, even the New York Times isn’t immune to attacks like this. Over this last weekend, September 12-13, I was startled to see an apparent Windows page show up that read, “Warning!!! Your system requires immediate anti-viruses scan. Personal Antivirus can perform fast and free virus malicious software scan of your computer.”
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That’s good advice. When you’re on a Windows PC, you shouldn’t click on any part of the fake message. No, not even cancel. Any click might start a malware download.
• Scareware scumbags exploit 9/11
Fraudsters have set up websites supposedly containing info about 9/11 but actually geared towards running fake anti-virus (scareware) scams.
• Trial set for ‘botnet for hire’ duo
A federal judge has cleared the way for the trial of two men accused of waging a cyber attack on a webhosting company so they could demonstrate the effectiveness of their botnet to potential customers.
• Malware lingers months on infected PCs
Previous estimates suggested that a compromised machine remains infected for approximately six weeks. Based on an analysis of around 100 million compromised IPs, Trend Micro concludes that many infected IPs are infected (or repeatedly infected) for more than two years, with a median infection length of 300 days. Four in five compromised machines are infected for more than a month.
