Phoney Microsoft mail causes concern
A phoney email purporting to come from Microsoft is installing Trojan software on computers around the world.
The mail was sent out by spammers and asks the reader to install a Microsoft update. It has a link to a realistic looking Microsoft update page but the file installed, named Wupdate-20050401.exe, turns control of the PC over to the spammer.
"The email won't be picked up through anti-spyware software because the .exe file does not contain spyware signatures that would be used to identify it as potentially harmful," commented Martino Corbelli from SurfControl, who first detected the email in Australia this morning.
"Anti-spyware software tends to scan URLs and attachments in suspicious emails, but because none of the recognised spyware signatures are present in the .exe here, there's no way this approach could identify the threat.?
Once installed the software will run, taking up 100 percent of the CPU power by forcing it to perform continuous processes. It also allows the PC to be turned into a spam server remotely.
Companies are advised to inform staff of the mail and lock down PCs to stop any files being installed for the time being. Internet filtering companies have been informed and are blocking the false site.
- Login or register to post comments
- Printer-friendly version
- 6382 reads
- PDF version
More in Tux Machines
- Highlights
- Front Page
- Latest Headlines
- Archive
- Recent comments
- All-Time Popular Stories
- Hot Topics
- New Members
digiKam 7.7.0 is releasedAfter three months of active maintenance and another bug triage, the digiKam team is proud to present version 7.7.0 of its open source digital photo manager. See below the list of most important features coming with this release. |
Dilution and Misuse of the "Linux" Brand
|
Samsung, Red Hat to Work on Linux Drivers for Future TechThe metaverse is expected to uproot system design as we know it, and Samsung is one of many hardware vendors re-imagining data center infrastructure in preparation for a parallel 3D world. Samsung is working on new memory technologies that provide faster bandwidth inside hardware for data to travel between CPUs, storage and other computing resources. The company also announced it was partnering with Red Hat to ensure these technologies have Linux compatibility. |
today's howtos
|
Recent comments
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago