New Computer Security Risk for Windows & Mac OS X

Thanks to a heads-up from my friend & colleague Bob Skidmore - aka: The Gadgeteer -- I wanted to pass along a new computer security risk ('Boonana' Trojan horse) that is apparently spread initially through Facebook and then through email.

The short, simple solution is if you receive any questionable email message, check it out with the sender first -- then, if you run a video from an e-mail or Facebook site and it asks for a password, do not supply it with anything, quit the installer, and remove the video from your system.

The installer cannot do anything to your system if you do not supply your password, so unlike a virus that can self-propagate, this should be relatively easy to remove by just deleting the file.

 

This 'Trojan horse' appears as a link on people's Facebook pages that may have the text "Is this you in this video?" in the link. When the link is clicked, the Trojan will run a Java applet that will download other files to the computer and run an installer automatically.

The Trojan will run in the background and appears to report system information to servers on the Internet, which can be a big breach of personal information. The Trojan also will attempt to spread itself by sending messages from the user account to other people through spam e-mail messages.

You can read more here: CNET Review - Critical Security Risk

 

I would also recommend reading the post I made earlier this month: Stop. Think. Connect -- Great Tips for National Cyber Security Month