McAfee Avert Labs identified a virus distributed via video formats

Nov 16, 2006 08:33 GMT  ·  By

It looks like the classic method for distribution of viruses is old enough to be replaced by new ones that are more difficult to be identified and blocked.Now, the infected files are included in video formats, forcing users to install the viruses when they are trying to view the movie.

McAfee Avert Labs identified a W32/Realor.worm into a rmvb file, a virus that "scans the infected machine for existing RealMedia (*.rmvb) files and inserts a malicious external hyperlink. When these *.rmvb files are opened, the user's media player may load an external webpage containing an exploit using the preconfigured web browser," as McAfee said.

"Today, McAfee Avert Labs discovered W32/Realor.worm in the wild that was actively modifying all Real Media (*.rmvb) files in its path. These "infected" media files launch a malicious webpage without prompting, as they are being viewed by the user in Real media player. These files can be music or videos hosted on a network drive containing corporate presentations, a personal media server, or a P2P shared folder et cetera. When was the last time you hesitated in opening a movie file?," McAfee sustained.

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