McAfee warns fake media file catches out nearly 500,000 PC users
INTERNET BUSINESS NEWS-(C)1995-2008 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD
Security company McAfee has revealed that nearly 500,000 computer users have been caught out by a booby-trapped media file posing as a music track, short video or movie.
The company said the file has been widely distributed on the eDonkey and Limewire file-sharing networks in an attempt to trap victims and claimed it is the largest outbreak it has seen in around three years. It confirmed that running the file will lead to pop-up ads and risk compromising the safety of the computer.
The file uses various names, including girls aloud st trinnians.mp3, changing times earth wind.mp3, heartbroken fast t2 ft jodie.mp3, meet bambi in kings harem.mp3, paralyized by you.mp3 and pull over levert.mp3, making it appear to be a music track, pornography or full movie version, and is written in different languages.
Anyone downloading the trojan and trying to run it, will be asked to install a codec to play the supposed media, though this will instead run the file and install adware, according to BBC News. The malicious program, which has so far seen 10% of those downloading it go on to install the fake codec and experience the pop-ups, only affects Windows users.
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