Criminals have been infecting computers with malware disguised as an iTunes gift.
By Matt Warman, Consumer Technology Editor
An email claiming to be from Apple’s
iTunes store contains a compressed ZIP file, which security experts say
could allow hackers to gain access to computers.
The German Eleven security blog suggests that the attack is timed to coincide
with the start of the American holiday shopping season, called Black Friday.
The email offers credit for iTunes music, games and video, and is just one of
a huge number of scams that try to lure people in with offers that seem
plausible in the context of other Black Friday discounts.
The email apparently offers recipients $50 (£32) and claims they need to open
an attached file to access their certificate code. In fact the attachment is
a file called Mal/BredoZp-B. It opens a security loophole on Windows PCs and
allows hackers to remotely capture passwords and other information. It also
slows down the computer and hides some files.
Although such malware can be removed with the use of widely available
anti-malware tools, damage can be done in the meantime.
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