Written by:
12/13/2010 12:19 PM 

I usually try to avoid reading too much about network security—mostly because I am easily freaked out. But, unfortunately for my nerves, keeping somewhat up to date about the goings on in the security community is part of my job. So, every couple of days, I steel myself and start Googling. 

It’s usually most of the same—don’t open weird emails, don’t click on mysterious links, don’t walk away from your desk and allow a total stranger access to your office. Yeah, I know what to not do.

But every once in a while, I read an article like Anup Ghoush’s editorial on headline malware and Fake A/V. Apparently, some poor, curious people seeking a snapshot of soon-to-be-royal Kate Middleton in her wedding dress may be exposing their networks to malware. And not just any malware, but a bug that actually poses as a system safety check while it infects your computer. Ghoush even provided a link to a video, so I could watch the malware in action.

Shudder.

And then panic ensues, because this could happen to me. I don’t care much for Ms. Middleton—she is beautiful, British, and is about to become a princess (thus making me feel frumpy and boring). But what if the malware was attached to something I do care about, or even something in my search for security blogging fodder?

And another thing: while these types of malware seem to be geared most often to men—and their affinity for scandalous pictures of movie stars—this particular ploy appears to be exploiting women interested in the goings on of the royal family. Very clever, malware writers...very clever.

Just one more thing to think about—and one more reason to be more careful (and less curious) online. 

Read more here: http://tinyurl.com/3yse6jk

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