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Malware Taking the Fun Out of Online Gaming
Bournemouth, UK (3rd July) – ESET announced today that malware targeting online gamers is still the number one detected threat in June. From a sample of over ten million systems worldwide, 13.29% detections were classified as Win32/PSW.OnLineGames. Although this figure is significantly down from last month’s 18%, ESET says that this does not necessarily mean a drop in the number of infections.
Win32/PSW.OnLineGames is a family of Trojans with keylogging and rootkit capabilities that gathers information relating to online gaming. The perpetrators take over accounts in order steal points and virtual treasure, often to sell in exchange for real money. The persistent growth in phishing and password stealing activities has even caused the developers of World of Warcraft to consider electronic token devices to protect its users.
“Without doubt for-profit malware is still the biggest growth area in virtual world criminalization, but we also see a range of other types of attack in these environments,” says David Harley, Research Author, ESET. “Attacks such as grey goo (a form of replicative malware) and griefing, where an avatar is used to interfere with the environment and harass other players have plagued sites like Second Life. Although generally disruptive rather than stealing information, they are extremely annoying and sometimes distressing for other users, and something developers are keen to avoid.”
Other notable malware included in this month’s top ten of detected threats is SWF/Exploit.CVE-2007-0071, which takes advantage of a vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player (up to and including version 9.0.115.0). Using this exploit a remote attacker is able to execute arbitrary code using a specifically formulated Shockwave Flash file. A patch has been available from Adobe since the 8th April 2008.
Top 10 Threats for June 2008:
1 Win32/PSW.OnlineGames – 13.12%
2 Win32/Adware.Virtumonde – 4.90%
3 INF/Autorun – 4.60%
4 Win32/Pacex.Gen – 2.59%
5 JS/TrojanDownloader.Wimad.N – 2.34%
6 Win32/Toolbar.MyWebSearch – 2.03%
7 SWF/Exploit.CVE-2007-0071 – 1.47%
8 Win32/TrojanDownloader.Murlo.NN – 1.35%
9 Win32/Adware/SearchAid – 1.22%
10 Win32/Qhost – 0.99%
ENDS
About ThreatSense.Net
ThreatSense.Net includes data about all types of threats seen attacking user systems. This (anonymised) statistical information is collected from those users of ESET security software who choose to enable the reporting service in the product and gives a comprehensive view of the behaviour and spread of malware in the real world. Data is currently collected from more than 10 million systems.
About ESET
ESET develops software solutions that deliver comprehensive protection against evolving computer security threats. ESET pioneered and continues to lead the industry in proactive threat detection. ESET NOD32 Antivirus, its flagship product, consistently achieves the highest accolades in all types of comparative testing and is the foundational product that extends the ESET product line to include ESET Smart Security. Both products have an extremely efficient code base that avoids the unnecessary large footprint found in some solutions. This means faster scanning that doesn’t slow down computers or networks.
Sold in more than 110 countries, ESET has worldwide production headquarters in Bratislava, SK and worldwide distribution headquarters in San Diego, U.S. ESET also has offices in UK, Argentina and Czech Republic and is globally represented by an extensive partner network. For more information, visit www.eset.co.uk or call 0845 838 0832.
Media Contact:
Sara Claridge
Marylebone Media Relations
sara@marylebone.co.uk
+44 (0) 20 8133 5572
+44 (0) 7968 626838 (mobile)
www.marylebone.co.uk
Contact Name: Sara Claridge
Role: Director
Company: Marylebone Media Relations
Contact Email: click to reveal e-mail
Contact Phone: 020 8133 5572
Company Website: http://www.marylebone.co.uk
Win32/PSW.OnLineGames is a family of Trojans with keylogging and rootkit capabilities that gathers information relating to online gaming. The perpetrators take over accounts in order steal points and virtual treasure, often to sell in exchange for real money. The persistent growth in phishing and password stealing activities has even caused the developers of World of Warcraft to consider electronic token devices to protect its users.
“Without doubt for-profit malware is still the biggest growth area in virtual world criminalization, but we also see a range of other types of attack in these environments,” says David Harley, Research Author, ESET. “Attacks such as grey goo (a form of replicative malware) and griefing, where an avatar is used to interfere with the environment and harass other players have plagued sites like Second Life. Although generally disruptive rather than stealing information, they are extremely annoying and sometimes distressing for other users, and something developers are keen to avoid.”
Other notable malware included in this month’s top ten of detected threats is SWF/Exploit.CVE-2007-0071, which takes advantage of a vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player (up to and including version 9.0.115.0). Using this exploit a remote attacker is able to execute arbitrary code using a specifically formulated Shockwave Flash file. A patch has been available from Adobe since the 8th April 2008.
Top 10 Threats for June 2008:
1 Win32/PSW.OnlineGames – 13.12%
2 Win32/Adware.Virtumonde – 4.90%
3 INF/Autorun – 4.60%
4 Win32/Pacex.Gen – 2.59%
5 JS/TrojanDownloader.Wimad.N – 2.34%
6 Win32/Toolbar.MyWebSearch – 2.03%
7 SWF/Exploit.CVE-2007-0071 – 1.47%
8 Win32/TrojanDownloader.Murlo.NN – 1.35%
9 Win32/Adware/SearchAid – 1.22%
10 Win32/Qhost – 0.99%
ENDS
About ThreatSense.Net
ThreatSense.Net includes data about all types of threats seen attacking user systems. This (anonymised) statistical information is collected from those users of ESET security software who choose to enable the reporting service in the product and gives a comprehensive view of the behaviour and spread of malware in the real world. Data is currently collected from more than 10 million systems.
About ESET
ESET develops software solutions that deliver comprehensive protection against evolving computer security threats. ESET pioneered and continues to lead the industry in proactive threat detection. ESET NOD32 Antivirus, its flagship product, consistently achieves the highest accolades in all types of comparative testing and is the foundational product that extends the ESET product line to include ESET Smart Security. Both products have an extremely efficient code base that avoids the unnecessary large footprint found in some solutions. This means faster scanning that doesn’t slow down computers or networks.
Sold in more than 110 countries, ESET has worldwide production headquarters in Bratislava, SK and worldwide distribution headquarters in San Diego, U.S. ESET also has offices in UK, Argentina and Czech Republic and is globally represented by an extensive partner network. For more information, visit www.eset.co.uk or call 0845 838 0832.
Media Contact:
Sara Claridge
Marylebone Media Relations
sara@marylebone.co.uk
+44 (0) 20 8133 5572
+44 (0) 7968 626838 (mobile)
www.marylebone.co.uk
Contact Name: Sara Claridge
Role: Director
Company: Marylebone Media Relations
Contact Email: click to reveal e-mail
Contact Phone: 020 8133 5572
Company Website: http://www.marylebone.co.uk
Tags (click tag to find related articles; click icon for feed):
malware 
|
eset |
online games |
world of warcraft |
Categories:
it/internet/software
sport/leisure/hobbies
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