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September 27, 2007

The lure of free computer games (initially reported here) continues. Sadly, it must be working to turn lots of new machines into bots. Lots of bots.

One example of today's simple email messages:

Subject: Would you like to play a game?

The internet is FREE again, thanks to Arcade World. 1000's of Free
games. http://[USA.numeric.IP.address_removed]/

Hosted on someone's computer in or near Austin, Texas is the following professionally-looking web page:

Click on any link or "click here" image, and the ArcadeWorld.exe file wings its way to your machine. Double-click, and you are pwned. Within a day or two, your PC, too, will host a professionally-looking malware page like this one...or send tons of spam...or lure more users to a different infection site...or participate in a denial-of-service attack on a legitimate site...or give up all your financial web site usernames and passwords. 1000+ ways to hand over your computer and private info to crooks for FREE, FREE, FREE!