Hackers cash in on tragedy by setting up rogue sites

Source: theage.com.au

Hackers cash in on tragedy by setting up rogue sites
CONRAD WALTERS
October 2, 2009

CYBER-CRIMINALS are using the public's hunger for information about the Samoan disaster to lure them to poisoned websites that can compromise a computer's defences.

Some searches for news about the earthquake and tsunami yesterday directed people to a legitimate website owned by an ill-prepared US construction company.

From there, they were seamlessly hijacked to an infected site with a Chinese web address.

Ironically, the second site warned people their computer was at risk of a virus and offered to install software to protect them. The so-called security software was itself a virus.

A security expert at the anti-virus company F-Secure, Chia Wing Fei, said the scam took a circuitous path through several countries to avoid detection before it urged people to install the rogue software.

Once in place, the software opens a back door to a computer so hackers can steal information and deploy the computer as part of a cyber army for other malicious purposes.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/technology/hackers-cash-in-on-tragedy-by-setting-up-rogue-sites-20091001-geq9.html

This is what happens when people use crappy computer operating systems.

when someone finally decides to attack other OS's.

It couldn't possibly be true that some OS designs are better than others.

All OS's are the same right?

Doesn't matter what the OS is. Yes, some OS's are better than others but they are all vulnerable if someone bothers to exploit the holes in ANY system. So far none of the real pros have tried to exploit Mac and Linux but there ARE holes in their systems too.

My point is that anyone who believes that their "superior" OS is impervious to attack is living in a fool's paradise. I have 6 computers running here on 5 different OS's and I still check the security on ALL of them.

My point was that they aren't all *equally* vulnerable.

Oh, and BTW, many of the "real pros" (not sure how you're qualifying that) *have* exploited OS X, Linux, *BSD (etc. etc. etc.), which is why a software ecology was built so that applications/daemons, and users, didn't have absolute permission over their machine, and every machine in the world with an internet connection could self-update, both on an application and OS level.

The windows family has been slowly going the same direction, for the same reasons, as it's predecessors. It's basically been an arms race, and some players are better than others.

(rlogin, rhost, etc.)... which Mitnick hack were you referring to?

Damn Nigerian barristers fleeced my ass.

:(

Sounds like they would make great health insurance company CEOs. :nuke: :hide: :nuke:

It is just a matter of having some basic common sense while surfing the net - having enough web savvy not to click on links willie nillie