Sunday, May 24, 2009

Google Users Targeting Gumblar Worm Spreads Fast

"A computer virus that targets Google users is mutating rapidly, turning it into what some are calling the biggest threat to online security today," writes The Guardian.

Gumblar worm exploits vulnerabilities in some unpatched Adobe PDF Reader and Flash player versions. After infecting the system the worm redirects victim's Google search results to sites that serve malware or allow criminals to do "phishing" attacks to steal login details.

The worm has been spreading for a while already but recently its authors changed attacking method so that malicious code is downloaded from a China based website. New techniques have also been developed to avoid worm getting detected.

According to security company Sophos the spread of Gumblar has over doubled itself in a week. The worm was responsible for 42% of all cases of malicious code found on websites.

US-Cert has issued a related warning about Gumblar. Security company ScanSafe recommends that people concerned about the security of their own sites should visit a third-party site called "Unmask Parasites".

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