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Trojan uses smut to filch bank details

Custom malware

Hackers have developed a sophisticated Trojan-based attack which uses the lure of pornography to steal bank details from victims' PCs.

The Briz-F Trojan has been planted on pornographic websites and takes advantage of software vulnerabilities to launch a complex attack which culminates in the compromise of an infected Windows PC. Although drive-by downloads are the main vector of the Briz-F attack, it is also possible to encounter the Trojan through other means, such as email messages, files downloaded from the net, and P2P file sharing.

The modus operandi of Briz-F is elaborate. Many of the files the Trojan installs on the system self-destruct once they have carried out their purpose, making it difficult to know whether a user has been the victim of an attack. Some of these files disable security software.

Meanwhile, a file called ieschedule.exe sends information about an infected computer (name, IP address, location, etc) to an address established by an attacker. At the same time, the malware downloads other files, including one called ieredir.exe, which redirects users to spoof web pages when they try to connect to particular online services, mainly related to online banking. It also collects information from Windows Protected Storage and email programs Outlook, Eudora and The Bat, which it sends to the attacker.

The emergence of the attack is a "consequence of the scam for creating and selling customised versions of Briz", according to Spanish anti-virus firm Panda Software, which identified the assault.

Luis Corrons, director of PandaLabs, Panda's virus research division, said: "The characteristics of Briz-F would indicate that, either the creators of the scam have decided to profit from the modification of the original Trojan, or have managed to set up a new scam for creating and selling malicious code". ®

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