This is a real note. You are getting sleepy. You must send me all your money. You will send me all your money, now. You will not tell anyone what you have done. |
Posted on 04/09/2005 11:37:52 AM PDT by crushelits
Fake Microsoft Security Trojan on the Loose, Antivirus Firm Says
A new campaign by malicious hackers uses a Web site designed to look like Microsoft's Windows Update page to trick unwitting Internet users into infecting their computers with a Trojan horse remote access program, according to antivirus experts at Sophos.
The scam uses e-mail messages that appear to come from Microsoft to get recipients to visit a Web page that uploads the malicious program. Using the promise of Windows software patches to distribute malicious code isn't new. However, the latest attacks show that scammers are adopting strategies used by phishers to evade detection by gateway and desktop antivirus programs, says Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos.
The attack was first detected on Thursday in Sophos's Vancouver, Canada, lab after it was distributed in a spam campaign. The messages have subject lines like "Update your windows machine" or "Urgent Windows Update," Cluley says.
The Web site run by the hackers was registered to an Internet service provider in Toronto, but it has since been shut down. The site looked very much like the actual Microsoft Windows Update page and displayed Microsoft's corporate logo. One clue that something was amiss: The URL displayed in the Web browser address bar showed only the IP (Internet Protocol) address of the site, instead of the Windows Update address, Cluley says. Sophos does not know how many Internet users may have fallen for the ruse, he adds.
The method of attack is similar to the phishing identity theft attacks that have become common in the last year. As with many phishing attacks, gateway antivirus software does not detect the scam, because there is no malicious code in the e-mail. Desktop antivirus software with spam detection could spot the e-mail, but only if an antispam definition for the attack had been created and the user had updated the antispam definitions for their product, according to Cluley.
Those behind the attack may have been trying to capitalize on anticipation of Microsoft's upcoming software security patch release next Tuesday, Cluley suggests. On Thursday, the Redmond, Washington, company said it intends to put out a number of security patches for its software.
"It's such a shame that, just as we're beginning to teach people more about security updates, cybercriminals are exploiting that," Cluley laments.
Sophos points out that Microsoft does not issue security warnings in the manner used by this attack. E-mail users should be on guard when receiving an unsolicited e-mail that contains an attachment or asks the reader to click a link to a Web page, Cluley says.
Although the Web page used in the latest attack has been disabled, those behind the scam could post the content in a new location and restart the attack, he warns, adding, "It's hard being an average Internet user. You just can't trust anyone."
I am starting to favor the death penalty for these creeps.
Something severe should be the punishment in specific cases of fraud with intent to cause harm or mayhem or whatever like this. It's essentially terrorist activity.
I don't think it rises to the level of terrorist activity. Felony vandalism would be more appropriate.
How many times do people have to be told that Microsoft doesn't send these messages out? Do these same people respond to the phony bank 'phishes'? I know, it's all Microsoft's fault!
Bill Gates and Co.?
Microsoft update notifications don't come in the form of email.
| Fake Microsoft security updates circulate ^ |
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| Posted by infocats On News/Activism ^ 04/08/2005 1:48:51 PM EDT · 38 replies · 733+ views ZD Net News ^ | April 8, 2005 | Dawn Kawamoto An e-mail campaign designed to lure people to a bogus Microsoft Web site is making the rounds as part of an attempt to install a Trojan horse, antivirus company Sophos said Friday. Attackers are sending out fake e-mails that claim to come from Microsoft's Windows Update. People who click on the link in the message are steered to a site that looks like Microsoft's security update site, where they are urged to download fake patches. But should unsuspecting users download the bogus patches, they will infect their computers with the Troj/DSNX-05 Trojan horse, according to Sophos. That, in turn, will... |
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| Fake Microsoft Security Updates Circulate ^ |
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| Posted by Pendragon_6 On News/Activism ^ 04/08/2005 11:38:54 AM EDT · 5 replies · 516+ views C/Net ^ | 4-8-2005 | Dawn Kawamoto An e-mail campaign designed to lure people to a bogus Microsoft Web site is making the rounds as part of an attempt to install a Trojan horse, antivirus company Sophos said Friday. Attackers are sending out fake e-mails that claim to come from Microsoft's Windows Update. People who click on the link in the message are steered to a site that looks like Microsoft's security update site, where they are urged to download fake patches. But should unsuspecting users download the bogus patches, they will infect their computers with the Troj/DSNX-05 Trojan horse, according to Sophos. That, in turn, will... |
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Forkbomb it!
Very nasty trojan intrusion that took hours to kill, and I'm still not sure if I got all of it out.
TDS3
I think there were 55 Million of them on November 2nd :)
This is a real note. You are getting sleepy. You must send me all your money. You will send me all your money, now. You will not tell anyone what you have done. |
I'll give that a try...thank you!
That's something akin to a serial killer showing up at your door and claiming he's there to fix the furnace. Believe him at your own risk.
Me too.
Why aren't these Aholes in jail?
If it was a destrutive virus that caused you to reformat your hardrive, they would be prosecuted. But, these pos's are frankly worse. It is so much easier to reformat the hardrive then work with all the garbage they put on. We need more sights like the one below to lt the public know who is doing this crap.
http://www.unwantedlinks.com/Top_Text_Hallofshame.html
all your hard drives belongtous
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This is not spam.