June 12, 2007 2:49 PM PDT

YouTube Trojan horse rides in on Web TV show's fame

by Robert Vamosi
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(Credit: Trend Micro)

According to Trend Micro, a Trojan horse that downloads a certain YouTube video could compromise your computer. The video appears to be an episode of Afterworld, a Web TV series about a society where technology is dead. Security vendor Websense has also been tracking this Trojan horse and has traced the video to a .su domain, which was originally assigned to the former Soviet Union and still remains in use today.

The use of online media files to infect end users with malware is not new. A worm last October used a JavaScript flaw in Apple Quicktime to spread on MySpace. For this attack, Websense has produced, ironically, an informative YouTube video demonstrating what happens to your computer. This YouTube Trojan steals personal information from a compromised PC and then broadcasts it to an undisclosed location.

As CNET's resident security expert, Robert Vamosi has been interviewed on the BBC, CNN, MSNBC, and other outlets to share his knowledge about the latest online threats and to offer advice on personal and corporate security. Listen to his podcast at securitybites.cnet.com or e-mail Robert with your questions and comments.
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A YouTube video to prevent a YouTube video?
by mongoos150 June 13, 2007 12:45 PM PDT
This is rich. How do they expect the type of people who would download a trojan'd flash video - inexperienced users - to feel comfortable about opening a file that's supposed to help them AVOID this problem on the SAME SITE where the virus exists?! Stupid companies, stupid decisions.
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This story need to be retracted
by peterichards June 13, 2007 5:41 PM PDT
This story refers to trojan that upon infection opens up a Youtube page.
The story however wrongly suggests that users could get infected by watching a Youtube video.
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