Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Blogs
    • Security Watch

    Hackers Pounce on Benazir Bhutto Assassination News

    By
    Ryan Naraine
    -
    December 28, 2007
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      If you turn to Google to find information on the assassination of former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, chances are you will land on a Web site rigged with malicious exploits.

      Within hours of Bhutto’s death, researchers at Websense Security Labs discovered several Web sites capitalizing on the breaking news surrounding Bhutto’s death, including one that was high on Google’s results for the generic “benazir” search query.

      At 11:00 a.m. on Dec. 28, one of the top three results on Google for the “benazir” search query was serving up a JavaScript redirect to a Web site attempting to load a Trojan downloader on Windows machines.

      An alert from Websense Security Labs noted that a malicious Google result for a “generic and simple keyword” is likely to receive large amounts of traffic.

      Google usually flags malicious search results with a warning that reads “This site may harm your computer” but, in this case, there is no such warning.

      The use of major news events or holiday activity has been a successful tactic for social engineering malware. [ See Techmeme discussion ]

      According to an advisory from anti-virus vendor Trend Micro, one of the malicious sites taking advantage of the Bhutto assassination news is serving up a script that downloads a Trojan capable of loading multiple executables on Windows computers.

      “TrendLabs found that there is a host of other news sites and blogs taking advantage of this news,” it added.

      The company said the malicious JavaScript is not exclusive to news sites. “It is also present embedded in other Web sites with a broad scope of topics and interests. There are many other sites that have been possibly compromised (or that include the malicious JavaScript), including Autoworld, Vino, Dogpile, MSN and Google’s BlogSpot.”

      According to Trend Micro researcher Paul Ferguson, searching for this same malicious JavaScript code URL (the malicious script) yields 4,240 results. If the search is narrowed down to also include “benazir,” there would be only 103 results.

      The “Storm Worm” Trojan has also used holiday-themed social engineering attacks to seed one of the most notorious botnets.

      Ryan Naraine

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×