Phony Erin Andrews video spreads malware
Monday, July 20, 2009
Cybercriminals are exploiting curious voyeurs hoping to watch a video purporting to show hidden "peephole video" camera footage of ESPN reporter Erin Andrews by hosting malicious web pages that contain Trojan malware, according to web security experts at Sophos.
Andrews, a popular sideline reporter for the sports cable network, was reportedly videotaped nude in a hotel room by a voyeur who posted the video on YouTube. The video has since been removed from the site.
Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos, reported on his blog that websites spoofing CNN and other sites claiming to host the video are cropping up, which ask visitors to download a video player that is actually malware that can infect the user's PC or Mac.
Mac users who download the phony video player would be infected by the Trojan OSX/Jahlav-C while Windows users would download either the Trojan Mal/EncPk-IF or a fake antivirus program, Mal/FakeAV-AY, Cluley reported.
Cluley said hackers are increasingly setting up malicious sites that can determine if users are visiting from a Mac or PC "and serve up the right flavor of malware accordingly."
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