De Master Yoda
10-14-2008, 12:05 AM
Online security experts are alerting net users to be wary of messages urging them to watch the latest viral video on YouTube. They say it may be part of a scam that is sending out tainted links in order to ultimately break into online computers. The present scam is founded on the habit of net users to casually click links forwarded to them by online acquaintances, for its success.
It is sending out links to a new video on YouTube, that, it says, is a must-see. Users clicking on the link are taken to a fake website closely resembling YouTube. The imitation is so good, most users were not able to discern that it was a fake. Users run into a message here that says they must download an update to view the latest video.
If users choose to go ahead with the download, the page triggers off the downloading of a malicious program onto the user’s computer. The malware is programmed to snoop on online computers and to recover online passwords or any other confidential information stored offline by users. So victims may not notice, the message fetches a video from the real YouTube site and plays it on the side.
According to a recent survey, 83% online users have reported receiving links directing them to suspicious websites. Given this, users may do well in approaching links sent to them by online acquaintances, with a degree of caution. Experts advise users, if they must, then they should see the recommended video direct from YouTube. The online address or the link URL is a good spot to uncover a tainted link, they further disclosed.
Source: AFP
It is sending out links to a new video on YouTube, that, it says, is a must-see. Users clicking on the link are taken to a fake website closely resembling YouTube. The imitation is so good, most users were not able to discern that it was a fake. Users run into a message here that says they must download an update to view the latest video.
If users choose to go ahead with the download, the page triggers off the downloading of a malicious program onto the user’s computer. The malware is programmed to snoop on online computers and to recover online passwords or any other confidential information stored offline by users. So victims may not notice, the message fetches a video from the real YouTube site and plays it on the side.
According to a recent survey, 83% online users have reported receiving links directing them to suspicious websites. Given this, users may do well in approaching links sent to them by online acquaintances, with a degree of caution. Experts advise users, if they must, then they should see the recommended video direct from YouTube. The online address or the link URL is a good spot to uncover a tainted link, they further disclosed.
Source: AFP