panda ranks famous people used to spread computer viruses panda software ranks famous people most often used to spread computer viruses
a coordinated attack with four species of malware featuring an image of
michael jackson marks a resurgence in the use of famous names to
distribute malware on the internet .
the recent distribution of a new type of malware , detected by panda software
as downloader . dbr , by mass mailing messages to users around the world and
using a spoof story about a suicide attempt by michael jackson , is nothing more
than a new episode in social engineering : exploiting the popularity of certain celebrities
to increase the propagation of this type of threat .
the strategy used to spread this malware is actually quite complex : the
message , which has been distributed manually as spam across the
internet , contains a link to web page . this page , by means of an
example of malware detected by panda software as phel . j , exploits a
browser vulnerability to insert inor . ak , an html application , on
computers . this in turn provides the access needed to install
downloader . dbr on the user ' s computer . however the malicious chain
doesn ' t end there . once installed on computers , this trojan downloads
the au variant of the dedler worm , which actually takes the malicious action on the infected computer .
this is not the first time that michael jackson has been used as bait
to distribute this kind of threat : last november a mail was distributed
supposedly containing a link to a website from which users could
download a video of jackson with a child . this video did not exist , but
instead a trojan was downloaded onto the computer .
even though it is not usual for such complex coordinated techniques to
be used to install malware on computers , the names of celebrities are
frequently used to distribute mails which either contain malware
attached to the mail itself ( often camouflaged as an image ) , or which
contain a url where the malware is accessed ( as in this case ) . trojans
in themselves do not generally have the capacity to propagate ( as worms
do ) , and so this type of strategy is needed for the message to spread .
at the top of this particular celebrity virus ranking is britney spears ,
who , according to data from pandalabs , has been the involuntary protagonist
of most attacks over the last years . attractive female celebrities are
often used for these purposes as the excuse for sending the mail is
often to entice users with the promise of interesting photos . along
these lines , third and fourth respectively in the ranking come jennifer
lopez ( unfortunately associated to the famous loveletter ) and shakira .
porn stars are also often used for this purpose .
the second person most frequently used by malware creators to
distribute their works is microsoft owner , bill gates , and fifth in the
list is osama bin laden . the latter has been the subject of e - mails
claiming that he has been hung , or finally caught , and the spread of
these messages increased after the iraq war .
other famous people who have been used in this context include anna
kournikova , who was the subject of a widespread example of malware
bearing her name , bill clinton , pamela anderson , and even alberto
fujimori , the former president of peru .
the ranking of famous people most frequently used is :
position name
britney spears
bill gates
jennifer lopez
shakira
osama bin laden
michael jackson
bill clinton
anna kournikova
paris hilton
pamela anderson
to prevent infection from these and other malicious code , panda
software advises users to keep their antivirus software updated . panda
software customers already have the updates at their disposal to detect
and disinfect this new malicious code .
to help as many users as possible scan and / or disinfect their computers
when necessary , panda software offers panda activescan , which now also
detects spyware , free of charge at www . pandasoftware . com .
webmasters who would like to include activescan on their websites can
get the html code , free of charges , at
www . pandasoftware . com / partners / webmasters .
panda software also offers users virus alerts , an e - bulletin in english
and spanish that gives immediate warning of the emergence of
potentially dangerous malicious code . to receive virus alerts just
visit panda software ' s website ( www . pandasoftware . com ) and
complete the corresponding form in the virus alerts section .
for more information about these and other malicious code , visit panda
software ' s virus encyclopedia at :
panda software 230 n . maryland ave . , ste . 303 glendale , ca 91209 this e - mail message is an advertisement and / or solicitation .
panda ranks famous people used to spread computer viruses
panda software ranks famous people most often used to spread computer viruses
a coordinated attack with four species of malware featuring an image of
michael jackson marks a resurgence in the use of famous names to
distribute malware on the internet .
the recent distribution of a new type of malware , detected by panda software
as downloader . dbr , by mass mailing messages to users around the world and
using a spoof story about a suicide attempt by michael jackson , is nothing more
than a new episode in social engineering : exploiting the popularity of certain celebrities
to increase the propagation of this type of threat .
the strategy used to spread this malware is actually quite complex : the
message , which has been distributed manually as spam across the
internet , contains a link to web page . this page , by means of an
example of malware detected by panda software as phel . j , exploits a
browser vulnerability to insert inor . ak , an html application , on
computers . this in turn provides the access needed to install
downloader . dbr on the user ' s computer . however the malicious chain
doesn ' t end there . once installed on computers , this trojan downloads
the au variant of the dedler worm , which actually takes the malicious action on the infected computer .
this is not the first time that michael jackson has been used as bait
to distribute this kind of threat : last november a mail was distributed
supposedly containing a link to a website from which users could
download a video of jackson with a child . this video did not exist , but
instead a trojan was downloaded onto the computer .
even though it is not usual for such complex coordinated techniques to
be used to install malware on computers , the names of celebrities are
frequently used to distribute mails which either contain malware
attached to the mail itself ( often camouflaged as an image ) , or which
contain a url where the malware is accessed ( as in this case ) . trojans
in themselves do not generally have the capacity to propagate ( as worms
do ) , and so this type of strategy is needed for the message to spread .
at the top of this particular celebrity virus ranking is britney spears ,
who , according to data from pandalabs , has been the involuntary protagonist
of most attacks over the last years . attractive female celebrities are
often used for these purposes as the excuse for sending the mail is
often to entice users with the promise of interesting photos . along
these lines , third and fourth respectively in the ranking come jennifer
lopez ( unfortunately associated to the famous loveletter ) and shakira .
porn stars are also often used for this purpose .
the second person most frequently used by malware creators to
distribute their works is microsoft owner , bill gates , and fifth in the
list is osama bin laden . the latter has been the subject of e - mails
claiming that he has been hung , or finally caught , and the spread of
these messages increased after the iraq war .
other famous people who have been used in this context include anna
kournikova , who was the subject of a widespread example of malware
bearing her name , bill clinton , pamela anderson , and even alberto
fujimori , the former president of peru .
the ranking of famous people most frequently used is :
position name
britney spears
bill gates
jennifer lopez
shakira
osama bin laden
michael jackson
bill clinton
anna kournikova
paris hilton
pamela anderson
to prevent infection from these and other malicious code , panda
software advises users to keep their antivirus software updated . panda
software customers already have the updates at their disposal to detect
and disinfect this new malicious code .
to help as many users as possible scan and / or disinfect their computers
when necessary , panda software offers panda activescan , which now also
detects spyware , free of charge at www . pandasoftware . com .
webmasters who would like to include activescan on their websites can
get the html code , free of charges , at
www . pandasoftware . com / partners / webmasters .
panda software also offers users virus alerts , an e - bulletin in english
and spanish that gives immediate warning of the emergence of
potentially dangerous malicious code . to receive virus alerts just
visit panda software ' s website ( www . pandasoftware . com ) and
complete the corresponding form in the virus alerts section .
for more information about these and other malicious code , visit panda
software ' s virus encyclopedia at :
panda software 230 n . maryland ave . , ste . 303 glendale , ca 91209 this e - mail message is an advertisement and / or solicitation .
