Half part pesky and half part sleazy. That's how
you can describe this malware that takes over your browser and redirects it to
pornography and diverts online searches to salacious websites or drug stores.
Security experts at MicroWorld Technologies caution computer users against probable
infection of a Trojan named 'Win32.StartPage.jo' while visiting dubious websites
or downloading freebies from untrustworthy sources on the net.
Win32.StartPage.jo
changes Internet settings on the affected computer. The default home page in Internet
Explorer is changed to www.find-online.net. It also adds a range of porn sites
and bogus drug sites in the favorites folder and makes changes in the Windows
registry to activate the Trojan at the system start-up.
"This Trojan
can impede your Internet activity by popping up pornographic content every now
and then," says Vikas Vishwasrao, Assistant Manager R&D, MicroWorld.
"Some of these sites offer to the user Codecs and other downloads which potentially
pave way for more malware to enter the computer. A couple of them are also seen
exploiting browser vulnerabilities to slither into unprotected PCs."
Porno-Trojans
can lead an infected computer to child pornographic sites, accessing which is
a criminal offense in many countries. Court may indict an under-trial for no fault
of his, based on the evidence of websites prompted by the malware, found in the
browsing history.
A case in point is the incident in which substitute teacher
Julie Amero from a Connecticut school faced several years of imprisonment as her
computer displayed X rated content to impressionable kids. A fresh trial has been
granted to her after security experts pointed towards the probable presence of
a Trojan in the computer.
"Browser hijackers can pose yet another threat
when used in Pharming attacks. Pharming is an advanced form of Phishing where
users are redirected to phony look-alikes of bank and credit card websites even
when you key in the actual URL of the site directly into the address bar of the
browser. Next, all confidential information you've entered into the website in
good faith can reach straight to the malware author, who would use that information
in whichever way he wants," says Sunil Kripalani, Vice President, Global
Sales and Marketing, MicroWorld.
MicroWorld's security software, eScan,
protects computers from threats like this with its advanced malware detection
technologies. Using MWL technology, eScan blocks malware on-the-fly while being
downloaded from the Internet. MicroWorld advises users to protect their computers
with a competent security software and keep it regularly updated.
MicroWorld
MicroWorld
(www.mwti.net) is the developer of the world's
first Real-Time AntiVirus and Content Security software eScan
for desktops and servers. Its communication security software, MailScan
is the first comprehensive e-mail scanner for your SMTP/POP3 Mail Server. MicroWorld
Winsock Layer (MWL) is the revolutionary technology underlying these products,
powering them to several certifications and awards by some of the most prestigious
testing bodies, notable among them being Virus Bulletin, Checkmark, TUCOWS, Red
Hat Ready, and Novell Ready. Combining their powerful scanner with MWL technology,
MicroWorld solutions provide a Real-Time Proactive security for your systems.
For network security of enterprises, eConceal Firewall is the latest powerful
offering from MicroWorld.
To learn more, kindly visit http://www.mwti.net
