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News

Twilight ‘Vampire Byte’ malware preys on fans

18 November 2009

Cybercriminals are exploiting Friday’s release of Twilight New Moon with a site promising an online interview, but which is “a ‘Vampire Byte’ to suck out your financial information and install malware on your computer”, says PC Tools.

The security software company explained how the Twilight New Moon malware scam works:

  • First, a user searches online “Stephanie Meyer” – the author of the books – and a result for “Stephanie Meyer at 365Multimedia.com” returns with a description of “Stephanie Meyer interview on Twilight the movie starring Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart”
  • When clicked on, this rogue Twilight New Moon link redirects users to a window informing them that they are infected with malware and they are then advised to download a fake anti-virus software product to get rid of the infection
  • As Twilight fans download and install the fake anti-virus software they are asked for credit card information
  • Malware is then installed on the user’s computer and any financial information entered is sent off to cybercriminals – and no one gets any information about Twilight

PC Tools said the ‘Vampire Byte’ is just the tip of the iceberg for Twilight fans and that more malware scams around Twilight will be coming out in the days to come.

Michael Greene, vice president of product strategy at PC Tools said: “The previous Twilight film made £1.2 million in the box office on its first day of release and the book series has broken sales records at Waterstones, so it's no surprise that numerous fans will be searching the web for clips of the film and interviews with the cast.”

He warned that cybercriminals will take advantage such major events and that internet users should ensure their security software is offering real-time protection and is up-top-date.

 

This article is featured in:
Malware and Hardware Security

 

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