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Trojan Deletes Your Porn, Music & Warez
E. Vigilant writes "The new Trojan/Erazor-A has an interesting twist. In addition to deleting or disabling various security products and competing malware, it deletes any porn, warez and music in your P2P directories. While some opine that this trojan might have good intentions, remarkably few things infect the text files this trojan also deletes. No one yet knows who wrote this or why."
From TFA: Well, that's a remarkably stupid assumption.
What's more likely?
- or -
Let's analyze who benefits from each scenario:
I pick avarice over sloppily executed altruism any day. I find it intriguing that this alternate explanation apparently didn't even occur to PC World.
____
~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey
What they fail to mention is that people who use P2P networks often want those files that they've collected. So this virus is destroying something they want.
I mean, who installs eMule or Bit Torrent and then wishes that one day someone would come and save them from the files they've downloaded? The very idea is ludicrous.
I use Bit Torrent. If a virus were to come and delete everything I've gotten from it (trailors, WoW patches, an odd assortment of legal videos and mp3s, etc), I don't know about you, but I would be right pissed. This isn't protection and it doesn't seem to discriminate from virile files and good files so it's pure and utter destruction.
The only thing "beneficial" is seen from the eyes of the RIAA or MPAA.
You "don't think" this was written with good intentions? A virus comes onto your machine, disables security & starts to delete files in directories with a certain naming convention. What more to do you need to say, "holy hell, I've got a freaking virus!"?
My work here is dung.
Finally a threat that will make the average joe start to take computer security seriously! I look forward to a safe internet for everyone (I mean as soon as a few botnet node owner's loose their porn, peole will actually clean up their boxes!)
On a more serious note, quoting the pcworld article:WTF? How could anyone think that it's to attempt to protect users when it doesn't delete executables from p2p folders? (for an interesting overview of real "white hat worms" see this vnunet article and the slashdot discussion on the blaster removal worm)
This worm is clearly to scare people away from p2p - not protect them from other p2p malware.
What's the bet that one of the companies that make oodles of money from content are behind this?
There are shills on slashdot. Apparently, I'm one of them.
All I know is that this is a very important problem we have to fix!! Destroying our financial records and stealing our identity is one thing. But touch a geek's pr0n collection ------- this means WAR!
Of course it would delete your porn! Trojan wants you to go out and have real sex.
Join Tor today!
I feel a great disturbance in the Force... As if a millions Slashdot posters all cried out in anguish...
The right to offend is far more important than the right not to be offended. (Rowan Atkinson)
What about the third scenario ?
3) Virus writers stage this to make it look like the RIAA, MPAA, ect, are "pulling a Sony" in an attempt to pull a classic "Throw a rock at the bee hive the ranger is standing next to so BooBoo can grab the pic-a-nic basket".
Wanna fight ? Bend over, stick your head up your ass, and fight for air.
"Thank god! I use linux!"
I thought Linux supported porn by now.
"I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
This thing could delete the Internet
As for the Who and the Why. I blame the RI/MP Ass's. of America.
... and make a new commercial!
...]
[old guy is coughing, wheezing,
[young guy] On a mac, you don't have to worry about losing your pr0n and warez!
[young asian chic to young guys right seductively takes leg and wraps it around young guys waist]
[cut to pic of imac]
Storage Space Mysteriously Triples on File Servers around the World.
Without the pain of personal loss, lusers will not be so inclined to tighten up their system. So what if I'm part of a botnet? I'm not using the machine overnight anyway...
Happy LARTing,
FatPhil
Also FatPhil on SoylentNews, id 863
First they came for my credit card data, since I did not have Visa, I said nothing.
Then they came phishing for my bank account info, since I did not have a bank account, I said nothing.
Then they came for my porn...
I don't know the meaning of the word 'don't' - J
The Windows Trojan/Erazer-A Trojan looks at default folders for downloading MP3, AVI, MPEG, WMV, Gif, Zip graphic and video files, and wipes anything it finds with these extensions in the target locations.
(...)
"The Erazer Trojan is a vigilante worthy of a Charles Bronson movie, taking the law into its own hands. However, it's perfectly possible for the Trojan to aim poorly and wipe out innocent files too," commented Graham Cluley of Sophos.
Aiming poorly? Yeah, if carpet bombing a country to hit a dart board is what you mean by aiming poorly...
Nyhetsankaret.com -- det bÃsta av Sveriges Nyhetssido
I see an option 3 here.
3) A strike against the MPAA, RIAA and any other "law abiding" corporation (who manages to be capable of CREATING those very laws) by targeting the computers that seed the incomplete, misnamed and intentionally infected files and the files on computers that have downloaded from them by users stupid enough to download things under 1kb.
Any smart P2P user changes the default directories to customize their own bitspace so it's easier for the person using the software to find what they've downloaded, not to mention archive on another device or media those files they truly wish to retain.
Do note that I did say *smart*.
"When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty." -Thom
remarkably few things infect the text files this trojan also deletes.
Ehmm... What?
home
Yea, like the RIAA and the MPAA are going to release a virus on the public, which could cost them billions, look how well that turned out for Sony...
In actuality it was probably just some stupid kid who, and probably rightfully so, thought the only thing of any value to anyone on their computers are either text files, or have downloaded from some p2p or similar site.
Honestly if you were looking to cause the most damage to anyones computer, it would be to strike at their heart, their downloaded music.
My theory is that this was made by someone who WANTS people to think that the RIAA made it, so that even more people will turn against them and take some heat off of P2P.
Don't worry if this thing deletes them. I've got them backed up for you.
This guy's the limit!
The first thing I thought was that it was well intentioned - in the long run.
The general public have demonstrated time and time again that they really don't care about security. They'll put up with their computer slowing down and crashing, they'll put up with random popup ads, they'll put up with their computer being used to spam people...
Removing virus vectors doesn't solve the problem in the long run. Ultimately, only education will do that. This is a form of education, a lesson that will actually sink in.
Bogtha Bogtha Bogtha
Call me cynical, but add:
4) Write a trojan to wipe out what people apparently consider to be important so that they are more aware of virus scanners.
Hmmm... would the various anti-virus companies do something like this to advertise the need for their products on people who lose gigs and gigs of files to a trojan? Nahhh....
The Overrated mod is for reversing inappropriate, positive mods, not for voicing disagreement with a post.
I felt a great disturbance from the Net, as if millions of gigs of porn suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly deleted.
Why the Christians, necessarily? A more likely culprit would be PETA, trying the protect all those cute fluffy kittens from the hand of a wrathful God.
It's not offtopic, dumbass. It's orthogonal.
The article on the Sophos website actually puts things as they are.
The PC World rehash just (deliberately?) misinterprets it.
Let's have a wee comparison:
Sophos: - "The Erazer Trojan targets internet users it believes are involved in piracy, but fails to discriminate between the true criminals and those who may have MP3 music files or home movies that they have created themselves. Malware is not the way to fight internet piracy."
PC World: - "A "vigilante" Trojan, that attempts to protect infected PCs from the effects of malware caught while using peer-to-peer file-sharing networks, has been discovered."
Now how they came up with that from the Sophos article is beyond my understanding.
Greetings, all.
I just wanted to offer my new backup service for all who of you who fear this trojan. Just contact me so we can arrange transfers. Please do not be wary of my generosity, for helping is its own reward.
"I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
If it only deleted .exe .bat .com etc etc then I could understand the logic BUT deleting media files does not protect anyone.
They almost touch on the simplest explenation. Vigilante. Believe it or not but there are some individuals who feel they have a need to stop others from downloading via p2p.
They would be intrested in deleting any media files you downloaded via p2p. They would not be protecting you but making your (in their eyes illegal) activity worthless. So that explains why they delete harmless files.
It also explains why they try to disable security programs, yet another punishment. That way you are far more at risk from using P2P by being infected. The logic being that pirates do not deserve to be safe.
Vigilante seeking to punish p2p users. Not the RIAA and not some guardian angel. The RIAA would have to have some extremly bad lawyers to have allowed this and a guardian angel would only destroy files wich put you at risk and not disable security software.
Vigilantes have done stuff like this before. It falls in the same field as those "jezus loves you" posts in porn usenet groups. Or so I been told. Not that I would know anything about that offcourse.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
"You are free to look at porn if you want to. Most dont, but you can."
Most Linux users don't look at porn? Didn't that all change when KDE came along and you didn't need both hands available?
"I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
That is so true. I can't count the amount of people I've met that have weatherbug or whatever on their computer and I explain to them that it has spyware, then I remove it and the spyware. Then a day or so later, they're like, "WTF? You deleted weatherbug" and I find they've reinstalled it. People just don't care, and I don't expect to ever understand why.
~ So sayeth the wise Alaundo
Um, maybe it's just me, but I'd call disabling antivirus impairing the computer's operation. Yeah, sure, it's not installing a spam zombie client, but it is unlocking the door for someone who will...
Or, maybe not...
Similar to the upcoming US election results
bad press
Went away already.
cd recall
So they could remove the rootkit. However, their key software is still on their disks.
and class action lawsuits
Oh yeah, those are going great...
Bullish Machine Tzar
Not even that:
5) Trojan not only sentient, but self-sustainable and conventionally biased. Will take over the world.
Proof of Intelligent Design? You be the judge.
Defining Statistics and Social Research
Since when can .avi .mp3 etc etc contain virusses or malware?
Since the people making the media players haven't figured out how to properly code. It is definetly possible to get infected or compromized via a media file. Look at the whole Microsoft image rendering problem a few months ago. One look at a specially crafted image on a website and you're compromized.
Bullish Machine Tzar
Unless it also displays a dialog box stating that, "The Lord has decided that thou hast broken the following commandments: Thou Shalt Not Steal and Thou Shalt Not Have Naughty Thoughts. Your files have been deleted according to the rights granted to us by God as his Holy Warriors, and your screen saver is now made of publicity stills from The Passion of the Christ. Go with God."
:)
Then, maybe so...
The Overrated mod is for reversing inappropriate, positive mods, not for voicing disagreement with a post.
reinstalled it. People just don't care, and I don't expect to ever understand why
People assume that anything that happens on their computer is visible in the GUI. Therefore if weatherbug doesn't pop up a requester saying "I'm spying on you now, please type something interesting", naive people will assume it's not doing that.
I suspect this misapprehension will change only through hard experience.
I don't care if it's 90,000 hectares. That lake was not my doing.
6) profit!!
MilkMiruku
This also emphasizes why all P2P users should quarantine their P2P software inside a virtual machine. VMWare's recently renamed VMWare Server" product is free and is a perfect way to isolate your P2P software from the rest of your machine. I actually employ this method myself. Much of the documentation I download is infected and this method prevents that infection from getting back to the host server. Plus it's quite easy to rollback changes to a time before the infection and start over.
There is no way Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell would ever risk their own secret porn stash. The parent is clearly a troll.