New Virus Delivery Method

I was in the midst of typing something on my PC when an Instant Messenger window opened. It was from XFaDEtOBlACk8705. I have no idea who that is.

The message was carefully crafted to look like one of a zillion IM’s, though probably one sent by users younger than me (which, of course, is nearly everyone nowadays).

damn http://secure.stro***it.com/picture.com looks like me&#185

Brilliant. This is social engineering at its finest. This message is screaming, “click on me.”

Here at my desk at work I’m on a Linux computer. It won’t run Windows programs, so I safely clicked. A warning box came up telling me this was an executable program! I’m not sure what payload this file delivers, but it can’t be good.

A few minutes later, I noticed XFaDEtOBlACk8705, so I sent him a message. Did he know what was going on? He did not, but had opened an IM earlier and then watched as IM messages spawned across his screen!

He did something foolish in clicking on the link, but it was specifically written to trick him. I guess that’s a little bit mitigating.

I sent off a note to AOL security, though I’m pretty distressed after having read the message at the bottom of the form. Don’t expect to hear back from us, they said.

We appreciate the time you have taken to help us by documenting the issue you encountered. The information you have sent will be processed as soon as possible. Not all issues can be addressed in the current version of the Instant Messenger software, so look for new releases which may contain the features you desire.

Unfortunately we cannot reply to each report individually. If you require technical support in addressing the issue you encountered you can look in the Frequently Asked Questions section. There you can find general troubleshooting information that may help you. Thank you for your continued support of the AOL

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