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Lycos Anti-Spam Screensaver Inspires Trojan

Posted by timothy on from the this-gets-confusing dept.

Even though it's been withdrawn, the Lycos anti-spam screensaver is not forgotten. Rollie Hawk writes "And with this, the 'What's Good for the Goose...' award goes to all those people trying to install that notorious spam-attacking Lycos screen saver but ended up with a Trojan horse instead. This trojan is spreading via email with the subject line 'Be the first to fight spam with Lycos screen saver,' tucked in an innocent-looking file called 'Lycos screensaver to fight spam.zip.' According to F-Secure, this trojan contains keylogger elements but little more has been specified. The only question I have is how long until the 'I promise to clean that trojan disguised as a DDoSing Lycos screen saver.exe' virus gets released."

7 of 167 comments (clear)

  1. hmm hmm hmmmm, hmm hmm hmmmmm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Trojan maaaan! Trojan maaaaan!

  2. Not Surprising by iBod · · Score: 4, Funny

    I wonder though, just how many people are going to want to fight spam using an attachemnt that arrives in a spam email?

  3. OK, for the last time children... by hackstraw · · Score: 4, Funny


    1) Don't take candy from strangers.

    2) Don't open email attachments from strangers.

    -Mom and Dad

    1. Re:OK, for the last time children... by ceeam · · Score: 4, Funny

      Given the reality it should be rather like this:

      "OK, for the last time, Mom and Dad

      1) Don't take candy from strangers.

      2) Don't open email attachments from strangers.

      -children"

      I'm not sure about 1 though.

  4. Wine? by raistphrk · · Score: 4, Funny

    Does the "screen saver" work in Wine? I want the benefits of the trojan without the overhead of an antivirus program.

  5. Re:Obligatory File Extension Hiding Reminder by mog007 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Microsoft thought it would be a really keen idea to have the messenger service enabled by default for Windows XP HOME edition. That's HOME edition. I'm fully aware of the usefulness of the messenger service in a business environment, but in a HOUSEHOLD?! WHAT THE FUCK? That doesn't make ANY sense to me at all. Nevermind all the other useless shit that's enabled by default on a standard install of XP Home, such as FTP servers and various other services that were easily exploited.

    --
    Learn something new.
  6. In other news... by claussenvenable · · Score: 2, Funny

    >> tucked in an innocent-looking file called
    >>'Lycos screensaver to fight spam.zip.'

    In other news, a man in Reseda, CA, was shocked to discover that he'd been fleeced by a fraudulent business who's innocent-looking byline was:
    "US Grreen CarrRd L0ttery 2005"

    Seriously -- doesn't this seem like further proof that the people writing these lame-ass virii are really only interested in duping the dumbest of the dumb? I mean, they could've given it the exact same name as the real executable and caught some *vaguely* savvy people... Why not?