Free Newsletters
Technology & Business Daily

InfoWorld
Log-in | Register

Trojan adware hiding in MP3s, McAfee says

Once downloaded, these Trojan horse programs disguised as fake MP3 files try to install a shoddy media player and adware on user's computer


Adware pushers have found a new way to trick you into downloading their annoying products: fake MP3 files.

On Tuesday, security vendor McAfee reported that it's seen a huge spike in fake MP3 files spreading on peer-to-peer networks. Although the files have names that make them look like audio recordings, they're really Trojan horse programs that try to install a shoddy media player and adware on your computer, said Craig Schmugar, a researcher with McAfee.

"Once you run it, there is no content. You're taken to this site to install this player, which you don't really need," he said.

Fake file names include: preview-t-3545425-changing times earth wind .mp3 and t-3545425-just got lucky.mp3. Schmugar listed more filenames, as well as details on the adware, in a Tuesday blog posting

Users are first asked to OK an end-user license agreement before the Trojan installs the Mirar toolbar and two other components, called FBrowsingAdvisor & SurfingEnhancer.

Ironically, while Mirar tells users that it doesn't display popups, the FBrowsingAdvisor & SurfingEnhancer software do deliver popup ads, so users who do not realize that they are installing several programs might feel tricked, Schmugar said. "You have a Window telling you that there are no popups and right behind it is a popup."

Although McAfee has seen some nasty software disguising itself as media files in the past, it has never seen anything on this scale, Schmugar said. Over the past 24 hours, nearly a third of the McAfee customers who reported data back to the security company have detected these files, he said.

In the past few days, McAfee has spotted the files on more than 360,000 users' desktops.


Talkback:

commentPost a Comment

 

MOST COMMENTS

 
 





What Every Enterprise Needs to Know About VDI
Today's enterprise IT environment is already complex, and replete with heterogeneous technologies. Attend this informative webcast to understand the key components for deploying and managing virtual desktop infrastructure in your environment. Sponsor: VDIworks

»  Click here to view this Webcast
  Zombie PCs Are Attacking Your LAN
A recent study showed that malware-infected zombie PCs are now a bigger threat to ISPs and Web infrastructure than DoS attacks. As this brand new IT Strategy Guide explains, an increased use of peer-to-peer techniques by the attackers has made it harder to fight back. Download now, compliments of Verio:

»  Click here to download now

- Special Advertising Partners -
WHITE PAPERS
 

» Technology White Papers Library

Technology White Papers by Topic

Technology White Papers E-mail Alert

Find out when the latest white paper is available:
 
 
INFOWORLD MARKETPLACE
 
» BUY A LINK NOW
 
 

Video

 
 
 

Podcasts

 
 
 

 

Columnists

 
 
 

Resource Center


Ads by techwords beta  [See your link here]
 




Sponsored Technology Links

 
 
 HOME  NEWS  BLOGS  PODCASTS  VIDEOS  TECHNOLOGIES  TEST CENTER  EVENTS  CAREERS   About | Advertise | Awards | RSS | Contact Us 

Copyright © 2008, Reprints, Permissions, Licensing, IDG Network, Privacy Policy, Terms of Service.
All Rights reserved. InfoWorld is a leading publisher of technology information and product reviews on topics including viruses,
phishing, worms, firewalls, security, servers, storage, networking, wireless, databases, and web services.

CIO :: ComputerWorld :: CSO :: Demo :: GamePro :: Games.net :: IDG Connect :: IDG World Expo
Industry Standard :: IT World :: JavaWorld :: LinuxWorld :: MacUser :: Macworld :: Network World :: PC World :: Playlist