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| CURRENT SECTION :: TechZone | UK's most visited IT Contractor Site - 250k unique visitors March 2008 |
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Hackers are tempting headline-hungry computer users to ‘read more’ about their genuine-looking news story that the US Army’s Delta Force has just invaded Tehran. The spoof story is being e-mailed to users’ inboxes with the subject line “20,000 US Soldiers in Iran” and contains a link to footage claiming to show a nuclear explosion. The footage was taken “today morning” by a US solider, and depicts the “first minutes of the beginning of World War III. God save us,” the email claims. Users who visit the webpage and click on the on-screen ‘video player’ risk being infected by a Trojan horse, designed to compromise their computer. Security experts at Sophos, which intercepted the emails, said the malware hiding behind the video graphic was Troj/Tibs-UO, and a malicious JavaScript on the site was Mal/ObfJS-AY. “Receiving or reading the emails themselves does not mean you are infected - but visiting the link contained in them, or trying to watch the video, is definitely a bad idea,” said Graham Cluley, the firm’s security consultant. “Hackers are taking advantage of the fact that many people today get their fix for breaking news via the internet. People, especially those with loved ones in the Middle East, may rush to watch the video without engaging their common sense.” More information about the threat, including and an image of the fake video player showing the mushroom cloud, can be found on the SophosLabs blog , which also offers security advice. Jul 10, 2008 Email this article Printer friendly page Previous Page
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