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PC Virus Using Bhutto Rumors to Spread

Posted Dec 29, 07 12:22 AM CST in Technology 

(Newser) – Hackers are adapting a recently released Trojan virus to exploit curiosity surrounding the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, Ars Technica reports. Many sites claiming to contain exclusive information or even video footage of the attack itself are hiding malicious embedded files. Once visited, the files allow for the download of additional malware programs.

The Trojan is already lurking on thousands of sites across the web, but within 24 hours of her assassination there were 103 sites containing the Trojan specifically mentioning Bhutto. Trend Micro, which discovered the new strain of malicious Javascript, says versions of it aren't limited exclusively to sites covering the killing: they've discovered it at more than 4000 locations, including Autoworld, Vino, MSN, and Blogspot.

Source Ars Technica

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Internet users are being navigated toward malicious websites while looking for information regarding Bhutto's assassination.   (Getty Images (by Event))
Former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto's death has spurred a wave of interested online searchers.   (Getty Images)
The preexisting Trojan horse has been adapted to exploit the assassination of former Prime Minister Bhutto.   (Getty Images)
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Benazir Bhutto  • computer virus  • malware  • Trojan


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