"And don't criticize/what you can't understand"

Robert Allen Zimmerman, "Bob Dylan" (1941), US Singer
(May 24, 1941, Bob Dylan was born)

GTA IV, bait to distribute malware

PandaLabs has detected the Bck/VB.ABN malware that spreads through P2P networks, passing itself off as a music download of the popular "Grand Theft Auto IV" videogame.

"Cyber-crooks take advantage of the interest generated by new videogames to spread their creations. This way they catch users' attention, getting them to download and run infected files," explains Luis Corrons, Technical Director of PandaLabs.

As a backdoor Trojan, this malware is designed to open a backdoor in infected computers and await its creator's instructions. When it infects a new computer, it copies itself on program folders to share files through P2P networks and continue spreading through other computers. It is also designed to download adware and downloaders on infected computers.

This is not the first time Panda Security's laboratory reports videogames being used as bait to spread malware among users. For example, PandaLabs recently reported phishing being sent as if it were a legal notice sent to Xbox users.

Other malicious codes spread through P2P networks pass themselves off as movies, videogame crackers and famous songs, to infect users. One of these malware strains, the WmaDownloader.G Trojan, recently infected over half a million users, passing itself off as different MP3-format songs.

PandaLabs advises users not to download suspicious files from these networks or at least to scan them before running them.