Malicious software plays on legal fears
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(InfoWorld) - Hackers are trying to play on business' fear of legal action from customers to trick them into downloading a harmful program distributed through e-mail. The e-mails purport to come from the Better Business Bureau, an organization that monitors and arbitrates disputes between consumers and businesses in the U.S. and Canada. The e-mails assert that a customer lodged a complaint against the recipient's business, according to a warning on the Web site of Websense, a security vendor. The e-mails contain aÂ Microsoft WordÂ attachmentÂ with the text of the supposed complaint and instructions for how to respond. But embedded in that document is a keylogging program that captures data on the victim's computer and then uploads it to a server in Malaysia. The keylogger is purposely mislabeled with a ".pdf" extension -- Portable Document Format -- another widely used document format, to make it look harmless, said Henry Gonzalez, Websense's senior security researcher. The trick is another variation of so-called "social engineering" methods used by hackers, which entice users to unknowingly install harmful programs on their computers. A Better Business Bureau branch warned of a similar kind of attack in February. At that time, the e-mails contained hyperlinks to malicious Web sites. Some kinds of malicious software can be installed on a user's computer merely by viewing a site engineered to exploit a vulnerability within a Web browser. The latest attack, using the Word document as the delivery vehicle for the malicious software, is a tactic hackers are increasingly employing. Â ADVERTISEMENTIBM Information On Demand 2006Industrial Industry Leaders, please join us at IBM's premier information management global event, IBM Information On Demand 2006, October 15-20, Anaheim, CA. More IBM business and technical solutions content in one place than ever before! Select from  over 800 sessions. Register today!
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Unpatched vulnerabilities may leave computers open to remote attacks.
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The popular skinning feature in Nullsoft&#39;s WinAmp media player has left the door wide open for malicious attackers to hijack PCs.
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Hackers are finding financial rewards in their actions, and criminals are increasing their dependence on IT. The combination, and the increased technical sophistication of the bad guys, worries a top federal prosecutor.
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Beta search app creates vulnerabilities that may threaten your data's security.
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Vulnerability, rated as highly critical, could enable an attacker to compromise a user's machine.
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InfoWorld - Hackers are trying to play on business&#39; fear of legal action from customers to trick them into downloading a harmful program distributed through e-mail.
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Popular Web sites like MySpace and Photobucket has banner ads containing malicious code that could lead to the compromise of a computer.
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Beta search app creates vulnerabilities that may threaten your data's   security.
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Over the past month, a new type of malicious software has emerged, using a decades-old technique to hide itself from antivirus software.
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A serious flaw in Google's desktop software could be used to wreak havoc on a victim's PC.
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While security experts applaud Microsoft&#39;s recently released Service Pack 2, some companies that distribute their software over the Web are watching the product&#39;s introduction with dread and suspicion.
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Memory space on components such as graphics cards, DVD drives and batteries can be used by miscreants to load malicious code onto PCs.
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Hacking tools that let you unlawfully activate trial software can include malware used by hackers to steal financial data.
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A remote attacker could take complete control over computers running many versions of Microsoft software by inserting malicious code in a JPEG image that executes through an unchecked buffer
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The company's antipiracy software adds a "yellow state" for times when it just can't tell if software is genuine.Image: A 'maybe pirate'