Tuesday, August 21, 2007
New Virus
It's clear to me from my email today that there's a new virus. It says "Welcome to Web Connect"... or "Welcome to CoolPics" or "Welcome to Mobile Fun" or similar, and says your login has been created, and directs you to an IP address to change the login. And surely when you go to the site, some malware will download and infest your machine.
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8 comments:
It is really ackward
Eolake, that really sounds to me like a virus, in the form of a browser-helper application (I don't know whether Macs are vulnerable to these "BHO"s, but they may have something that creates the same symptoms via a different procedure).
The behavior sounds like it's the same as the way something acted that I had on my PC Windows computer, something called "Cool Web Search." This dastardly little device is programmed the same as any of a number of legal BHOs, which are simply add-ons to your internet browser that are allowed to do whatever you install them to do. The Cool thing was sending me to search results via its OWN engine and directory (which, no surprise, only included a few advertisers who had paid for their service) rather than to a wide range of results from Google, which is how I had intended to set up my computer to respond.
I had to use anti-virus tools to remove Cool Web Search. If I were you, I'd check at a few different anti-virus software web pages to see whether maybe there's not an alert out for Macs that are behaving in that way.
Of course, it could all be simply deliberate, "non-invasive" advertising that works within the confines of your ISP, your browser, or some other "legitimate" authority. (Isn't that an oxymoron, "non-invasive advertising"?) In which case maybe I missed the intent of your post?
ooops!
Browser Helper Object
not browser helper application
BHO
My mac is not infected, I was just talking about spam emails. But they clearly will lead to a malware web site.
Villains will never cease to exist, obviously.
They infect not only the internet.
Yet they seem to be a part of the evolution process.
I stand to be corrected here, but isn't the term for this kind of message "Phishing"? Basically trying to get you to go to a web page and enter some personal details. Others I've seen have pretended to come from on-line banks or other stores - ebay is a common one - saying that your account is about to be deleted and you have to put your details in to stop that happening. Alternatively they claim to have been the victims of an attack themselves and now need your details again to restore their database. This latter example is less common now as people have twigged to the fact that if the database has been destroyed, how come they've still got my e-mail address? These scams rely on human gullibility rather than a technological device.
My rule of thumb is:
If I don't recognise the e-mail address, it gets binned.
If it's asking for personal details, it gets binned.
If it claims to be from an on-line source I use, but I'm not expecting contact, it gets binned.
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is, and it gets binned.
If in doubt, it gets binned.
I don't think it's phishing. I did not visit any, but I don't think they ask for personal details, I think the site will download malware to your computer.
The bits between brackets are the thoughts these titles inspired me on the spot. Who knew spam could be so much fun?
- Extend your Johnny (Heeeeere's JOHNNY! Red drum!)
- It's almost there (yeah yeah, I know, "just a few more inches")
- massive internal power ("Batteries not included")
- Mine Is Bigger Then Yours ! ("I am rubber, you are glue...")
- Gain Up to 2 Inches P3n1s
- Gain Up to 3 Inches P3n1s
- Gain Up to 4 Inches P3n1s
- Gain Up to 5 Inches P3n1s
- Gain Up to 6 Inches P3n1s
- Gain Up to 7 Inches P3n1s
- Gain Up to 8 Inches P3n1s (Somebody getting desperate to grab my attention?... Heck, who would NEED to gain 8", except a guy who's got zero? Geez, 4" is already within normal.)
- Get A Bigger Today! (No thx, that day has dragged on long enough already)
- Get a Rich Beautiful Lawn (Another sexual slang word I've learnt today. Lawn, meet Johnny.)
- Grow Grass Anywhere (Minoxidil, eat your heart out!)
- Grow Grass in the Shade or Shady Areas (This is starting to get explicit, honey!)
- Get confident, stupid ("Thanks for the support, dear jerk")
- In fact you shouldn't bend the knee before me like that. (Yeah, yeah, dream on. It wasn't even spam for a dating site!)
- Huh? (Yoo tokkin' to me?)
- NOTHING compares to the feeling of having a larger penis (Not even having larger boobs???)
- impressive growth abject wave (I don't know what this means, but it sounds disgustingly gross)
- Me and my friend had fun with the camera you sent me. Do you like em? (A camera? Gee I had no idea I was such a generous guy!)
- No Pumps! No Surgery! No Exercises! (No shit?!?)
- NO.1 For Pen1s Enlargement (There's no-1 home, go away!)
- This menu item causes a cascade of releases and object destruction. (Sounds like a computer virus to me...)
- [From "Cassie1986"] Umm... hey, how are you. (Umm... hey, WHO are you?)
- Your Home Loan - APPROVED (I filed a loan application, and only now I find out???)
- [From "Web Cooking"] Welcome New Member (Gee, I really sign up for the dumbest stuff, don't I?)
- Make your Debt Disappear (Way ahead of you. I'm working on the Universe now...)
- Why settle for what you have? (Yeah, why deny myself the joy of all that frustration out there?)
- Let Your Dreams Come True enough (Uh... thank you... sort of!)
- try this f0rmula, amazing fail tunnel (Do they get many volunteers for testing fail tunnels?)
- Replica Watches for sale HERE (Can I pay with a replica credit card? I've got a Monopoly Bank account.)
- Looking for Smokers & Non-Smokers for National Tobacco Survey (All of whom to try your smokes?)
- Lose 30lbs Fast (I'd Rather Lose 30lbs of Fat !)
- Produce Stronger, Rock Hard Erections. (No thanks. Bone hard works just fine for me already.)
- Separate yourself from other men (Date women instead, you sissy!!!)
- SuperSize It Today ! (Must be a MacDonald spam, that one.)
- Weight Loss with Viagra (Now that's interesting. I have no idea how it might work, but...)
- Who has the bigger pen1s.? (The Pen Is always mightier than the sword, haven't you heard?)
- Who has the biggest Pen1s? (Sorry, buster, I promised my GF to keep the secret. She's the jealous type.)
- You've received a greeting ecard from a Worshipper! (Swami Me is opening this one right now, my faithful followers. Now, bow. And make a generous donation.)
- Your 1-year membership to Weight Watchers® (My brother always has a good laugh when he reads stuff like that. He just can't manage to GAIN weight!)
- Re: Your V1agra 0rder #973755 (Oh? I ordered some? Must've forgotten all about it then...)
- Your Future is Waiting On eBay! (Dang, you can really buy anything on eBay these days!)
- Order your Diploma now! ya (Diploma, yay!)
- A few inches can make a real difference (Um... a few inches of WHAT, ma'am?)
- Are you confident in bed? (Dunno. I was too busy sleeping.)
- You should check it (Oh. Right. "Check all messages in Bulk Folder". Aaaaand... DELETE!)
But perhaps my fave spam is the one that appealed to me as a "muslim brother" to contribute to the building of a mosque in Abidjan. "We need the praying carpets badly."
Well, at least they've got their priorities set straight in their famin-plagued country! :-P
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