Attackers Target Skype Users with New Trojan Program
Security firm MessageLabs has discovered and blocked over 800 copies of a new variant of the MyTob Trojan (also known as Fanbot) being spread via email. The usernames and remnants found within the code led MessageLabs to conclude that the perpetrator is likely a well-known black hat hacker from China, rather than the original author of the MyTob Trojan.
Maksym Schipka, a senior antivirus expert at MessageLabs, stated that this is the first malware specifically targeting Skype that he has documented. This signals a new attack vector for hackers, focusing on widely used but simple services.
Specifically, this malware is embedded in attachments of spoofed emails claiming to be from Skype, advertising that it is the latest version (v1.4). The legitimate download link for this software was only released last week, making this attack particularly timed to exploit user psychology. If you accidentally open an infected Trojan file on a Windows machine that already has security vulnerabilities, your PC will quickly turn into a zombie and fall under the hacker’s control.
However, according to Schipka, computers infected with the Trojan will not be able to connect to IRC servers, which limits the extent to which the attacker can exploit the situation at this time. Nevertheless, future variants are likely to address this flaw, and the risks they pose could become significant.
Thien Yi (According to The Register)
