Hackers exploited Bhutto’s death to massive attack
Within hours of yesterday’s assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, malware makers exploited the breaking news to dupe users into downloading attack code, security researchers said Friday. Searches for news about Bhutto’s killing and the ensuing chaos in Pakistan listed sites pimping a bogus video coder/decoder (codec), said analysts at McAfee Inc., Symantec Corp. and WebSense Inc. For instance, WebSense found such a site simply by using “benazir” to search on Google. Meanwhile, McAfee quickly located 10 sites hosted on Blogger.com, Google Inc.’s blog service, that were spreading the fake codec.
The sites use the well-worn tactic of promising a video — in this case one of Bhutto’s assassination — but telling Windows users that they need to install a new high-definition video codec, the program that decodes the digital data stream, to view the clip. Naturally, the so-called codec is no such thing, but is instead rigged code that downloads a variant of the Zlob Trojan horse, a back door that can infect the compromised PC with a wide range of other malware. Other hackers are relying on the news of Bhutto’s assassination to draw users to sites that forgo the codec angle and instead conduct drive-by attacks, said Rahul Mohandas, a security analyst at McAfee’s Avert Labs unit. This is just sick, I thought these people have some limits…
Source: Computerworld
Comments(32)
whats new hackers try this stuff all the time.
sucks
these people don’t have any respect for anyone sick people
i don’t get why people would use tragic events to piss people of by stuffing up their comps…they really need to get a life.
“This is just sick, I thought these people have some limits…”
Limits? We’re talking about people who are in it for the money. For those kind of people there are no limits, and there shouldn’t be a limit for punishing them.
btw its bhutto, not bhuttu
How does one earn money this way? What? Credit card details or some sh!t…
.
If you have any comprimising data on your comp you deserve it
You more so deserve it if you attempt to get this “codec”.
@14 NuZZ
Hackers make money by farming out the computers under their control to spammers, stealing financial data, and various other VERY imaginative uses of controlled computers. Botnets are becoming the next big thing with hackers, and the power of some of them is truly crippling.
um, who cares, these people wanted to see a gruesome video. serves them right
hackers???
malware makers aren’t hackers, they’re just programmers.
why call them hackers? you want to give hackers a bad name?
Hmm… makes me wonder… The first super hit PC virus “Stone” was a brainchild of 2 Phakistani brothers. The current overall state of the Phakistan nation prooves the age old saying, you get what you sow. The terror attacks, humiliation and hard times, all of it was really deserved by the people who supported their leaders through years of bigotry, betrayal, ethno-religious hatred and violence. It’s an irony that the name of this nation means “Holy Soil”. Now there is nothing holy about it. Phakistan was created as a result of propaganda induced mass hysteria, and mass hysteria will spell its doom. It is already showing all the prominent and visible signs of a failed state!
In this season of festivity & devine merriment, my prayer to the holy being is, let the ppl of Phakistan know what the word “PEACE” means in their personal lives.
They’re some ****holes ****** hackers that is just… wow some loosers exploting just because the pm was assassinated and this is what they do… wow jack***** should be punished but people have no limits for sure.. we all know that
No worries, its just CIA MI6, mossad etc de-stablising things -as usual.
It is fitting, considering that the woman stole 1.5 BILLION U$ from Pakistan.
@11 johnny666
LOL, You obviously have no idea what your talking about
I don’t understand what is meant by “Drive-by attack”… and what is sick about it?
:$
haha BRILLIANT omfg that is funny as hell and for those that think it is sick then gtfo the internet, damn there is worse out there on it. But this is just funny lol (Looks for real video)
First of all. I would never download a video of a war crime hero who ran away from her country from a jail sentence in the name of “self Exile” who comes back to the country knowing she will get killed but doing so to become a martyr.
Secondly i wouldnt be that stupid to get a “codec” from an unknown site and i dont think anyone here is that stupid either.
“This is just sick, I thought these people have some limits…”
I don’t believe this at all. As someone said the people who were searching for the videos were most likely looking for a “kill shot” or such anyway. Wheres the respect in that ?
Even if they weren’t, I don’t feel any relation between respecting this persons death and exploiting unsecured computers.
one word…. WTFNORESPECT!
Hackers? , when did real ‘hackers’ put a noob malware program in a fake codec file cmon.. , these are just kiddies
the malware file gives you this
trojan.backdoor or the trojan.downloader lul
cnn is so much better
@11…dude firstly is “Pakistan” and not “phakistan” and secondly you have no clue of wat u r talking abt. so plz quit preaching out here and ya one more thing…next time u come out trying to give out such huge comments on such sensitive issues,think again..u mind end up hurting the sentiments of the people residing in that particular country..
Remind me of the english sheep lovers who have sex with sheep in Yorlshire then got all almighty when Diana died.
The same english who call all Pakistani’s Paki?S.
so let me guess… the person who made comment 11 “johney666″ is actually named something like Ajatashatru Patel and drinks cow piss because his hindu religion dictates so.
mass hysteria is one reason to create pakistan. however, the main reason is that we were sick of you hindus drinking cow piss all the time and everywhere.
thanks and good night
that kind of comments was totally uncalled for….ali
try and better ur country of the millitants and terrorism(i.e pakistan is known as terroist disney land) and political instablity b4 u can speak abt any aother country….
look buddy ur nation assainated a promising leader and along with her all hopes of ur democracy…
u can be civilised and well cultured too… just try…lol
@25 – aLi
I agree with 26, why cant you talk like civilized people? Why do you guys blame everything on india? i mean your country is in a mess because of ur inability to act on terrorist cells occupying ur country and still u blame india for everything? on top of that you make fun of indian name and religion? it makes no sense to people living in the west. lot of people like you has only given embarrassment and shame to your country throughout history. Probably should focus on the state of your own country before commenting adversely on others.
@24 – KHan
So you generalise English people as a bunch of sheep shaggers (lol), and then get all uppity when they call you a “Paki”?
It seems to me that both “sides” need to give a bit of ground. However, neither will, as they think that if they do, the other “side” will take advantage, rather than doing the same.
Just remember who is the guest in the country in question…..
LOL, @23, 24 & 25. These comments are actually establishing whatever is written by Johney666 @11. Their comments are full of hatred and arrogant emotion… they actually agree that “mass hysteria is one reason to create pakistan” and they cannot counter the fact that Pakistan is the nursery of the evil called terrorism / cyber-terrorism…
The hacker culture in Israel and some other parts of the world was actually started to counter the damages done by Paki hackers.
BTW brother KHan, why u r angry when some1 calls your ppl paki? In your country’s laguage that actualy means something good / heavenly. Or is it because u cannot keep yourself from finding reasons to hate others?
Happy new year 2008 to all Paki brothers and sisters.
Dear friends, @15 & @23, if I was usure of what I was going to comment on, unlike you I would have refrained myself from commenting.
ThanX to RLSLog crew & Mr. X in particular, I dont’t even have to go away from this site to proove my point:
http://www.rlslog.net/national-geographic-inside-the-taliban-ws-dsr-xvid-sys/
It was not my intention to attack anyone. But why should I not call a spade a spade? If the truth hurts your feelings, it is about time you start to look at yourself from others eyes and think what u have become. How can you turn a blind eye towards the “Lal Masjid” incident? If that was’nt a wake up call for your people (and obviously it wasn’t) then as I said already, you deserve your present and future! Afgani people learned it in the hard way, but it seems for your people it will be harder. And with a nuke arsenal in the hands of a power hungry general who is willing to retain power at ANY cost… well naah, no use. I choose to stop now.
And aLi @25, no that’s not my name or anyone’s I know of. But I can tell u this for sure, all of my half a dozen Phakistani friends personally think in the same way and admit that there is something wrong with the teachings & idiologies they were brought up with and it sure has something to do with the current unstable state of that nation.
And to know wat kind of a “Leader” this great lady was (NOT), read this insightful reportage by Francois Gautier, the editor in chief of Paris-based La Revue de l’Inde: http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/dec/31gautier.htm
Could be an eye-opener for some.
Thnx Johney666 for the link @31….
it was a real eye opener.
id definetly recommend it to any1 b4 they try
to scapegoat