• Home
  • NEWS
  • SPORTS
  • ENTERTAINMENT
    • POWER HOUSE
    • MUSIC / VIDEOS
    • MOVIES / TV
  • LIVE
  • Contact Us
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Trending
  • Rihanna, A$AP Rocky attend ‘Iconic’ Beenie Man show in Barbados
  • Beenie Man injures ankle in bike crash — source
  • Will Smith Says He ‘Understands’ If Moviegoers Aren’t Ready to Watch New Film After Oscars Slap
  • Will Smith says bottled rage led him to slap Chris Rock at the Oscars
  • Drake Gifts DJ Khaled with Toilets
  • Soca Invasion Brings Caribbean Culture to Ghana in January
  • SVG days away from exporting first legal shipment of medicinal cannabis
  • Protect yourself and use condom properly- AIDS Secretariat
Magic 103.7
  • Home
  • NEWS
  • SPORTS
  • ENTERTAINMENT
    • POWER HOUSE
    • MUSIC / VIDEOS
    • MOVIES / TV
  • LIVE
  • Contact Us
Magic 103.7
Home»News»Hackers slipped malware into popular PC software CCleaner
News

Hackers slipped malware into popular PC software CCleaner

By Magic 103.7September 18, 2017Updated:January 16, 2018No Comments2 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Telegram Tumblr Email
old broom at a door

A popular PC-cleaning software used by over 130 million people put users at risk after hackers were able to insert malware into legitimate downloads. Piriform’s CCleaner, owned by antivirus provider Avast, was found to be hosting a “multi-stage malware payload” that could install ransomware or keyloggers and further infect target computers on command.

According to Avast, around 2.27 million people ran the affected software, which was delivered via a hacked server. The impact is damaging, but considering that the application has amassed over 2 billion downloads and adds around 5 million new users each month, it could have been significantly worse. The company said it has already forced updates of the affected version and in its own words was “able to disarm the threat before it was able to do any harm.”

Starting life as a “crap cleaner,” CCleaner has earned a reputation for its ability to remove rogue programs and clear things like tracking cookies on Windows PCs. Users trust the brand, which makes it a prime target for attackers. “By exploiting the trust relationship between software vendors and the users of their software, attackers can benefit from users’ inherent trust in the files and web servers used to distribute updates,” said Cisco Talos researchers, who discovered the threat, in a blog post.

The attack vector isn’t a new one, but it’s become a lot more prevalent in recent months. The Petya ransomware was distributed via a similar method and hackers also modified the Mac Bittorrent app Transmission on official servers to compromise users’ computers.

In the past, attackers would create fake alternatives of popular applications and trick people into downloading them. The trend now, however, is to attack the download source directly and gain access to legitimate servers. Once they are in, it’s a case of loading the trusted software with a nefarious payload, with the end-user being none the wiser.

“This is a prime example of the extent that attackers are willing to go through in their attempt to distribute malware to organizations and individuals around the world,” Cisco Talos warns. “Attackers have shown that they are willing to leverage this trust to distribute malware while remaining undetected.”

Source: Engadget

CCleaner Hacking
Share. Facebook Twitter WhatsApp Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Telegram Tumblr Email
Previous ArticleAlkaline Creates Dancehall History
Next Article Video: Sam Smith – ‘Too Good At Goodbyes’

Related Posts

YouTube Hack Hits Popular Music Videos

April 10, 2018

41 percent of Android phones are vulnerable to ‘devastating’ Wi-Fi attack

October 16, 2017

Facebook password stealing software comes packed with a trojan that steals your passwords

August 10, 2017

Comments are closed.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
Listen To Magic 103.7 Live

Trending

Rihanna, A$AP Rocky attend ‘Iconic’ Beenie Man show in Barbados

November 29, 2022

Beenie Man injures ankle in bike crash — source

November 29, 2022

Will Smith Says He ‘Understands’ If Moviegoers Aren’t Ready to Watch New Film After Oscars Slap

November 29, 2022

Will Smith says bottled rage led him to slap Chris Rock at the Oscars

November 29, 2022

Drake Gifts DJ Khaled with Toilets

November 29, 2022
Magic 103.7 - Today's Music Yesterday's Hits
Today’s Music Yesterday’s Hits
Follow Us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
Popular This Week

Rihanna, A$AP Rocky attend ‘Iconic’ Beenie Man show in Barbados

November 29, 2022

Beenie Man injures ankle in bike crash — source

November 29, 2022
Copyright © Magic 103.7 | Designed by Delano Maloney Designs
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.