A virus hidden in flash videos

McAfee has come across dangerous flash animations that are seemingly completely harmless and related to the Olympics.

We have become accustomed to virus writers trying to deceive users through a variety of methods and trying to install their malware on as many computers as possible. One of the latest malware discovered by McAfee is hidden behind flash animations. One of its main dangers is that it contains various rootkit components that make it difficult to detect its presence on infected systems.

The new virus is spreading in flash videos that address Olympic themes in a way that fits into cartoons. In one such animation, for example, a gymnast demonstrates his practice. While the user is watching the video, the malware starts running in the background. It installs components that will later be able to log keystrokes and thus obtain confidential information.

Dave Marcus, a McAfee security expert on the new rootkit, said online criminals and virus writers are paying more and more attention to the Beijing Olympics and trying to take advantage of the growing interest in the sporting event. Various deceptive Olympic news, messages, videos, etc. in order to persuade unsuspecting users to launch malware in this way. Of course, even in this case, their main purpose is to have access to confidential data. Dave Marcus advised no one to open files in emails that seem to contain Olympics-related videos. This is because they may carry the risks described above.