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This is one of the most out-there spyware stories I’ve seen in a long time.

According to spyware-busting samurai Paperghost at VitalSecurity, a megabundle of crap is being propagated through an AOL Instant Messenger worm, and it includes such choice tidbits as:

  • 180Solutions Zango
  • A custom version of BitTorrent that pushes Mr. Bean, the Movie. 
  • A rootkit to hide its nefarious actions.
  • And last, but certainly not least, a copy (apparently legit) of Mark Russinovich’s Rootkit Revealer (the tool which Mark, a Windows superguru programmer, used to bust the Sony rootkit).  Massive dose of irony here.

The worm lures victims through the following AOL Instant Messenger with the following messages:

“great picture 🙂 http://www.picteurestrail.net/Mastermon/XXXXXX.JPG”, or

“not a right time to take a picture haa 🙂 http://www.picteurestrail.net/Mastermon/XXXXXX.JPG”

“not a right time to take a picture haa 🙂 http://www.pictrail.net/Matelord/XXXXXX.JPG”

“not a right time to take a picture haa 🙂 http://www.picstrailx.net/Mateslord/XXXXXX.JPG”

Paperghost’s writeup here. Advisory from his employer, FaceTime, here.

Alex Eckelberry