[Dixielandjazz] Fake YouTube pages used to spread viruses

[Robert Ringwald]

This courtesy of Mad Dawg.

Fake YouTube pages used to spread viruses
By Jordan Robertson, Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO Savvy Internet users know that downloading unsolicited
computer programs is one of the most dangerous things you can do online.
It puts you at great risk for a virus or another time bomb from a hacker.
But even some sophisticated surfers could get taken in by a sneaky new
attack in which criminals create fake YouTube pages - dead-on replicas
of the real site - to push their malicious software and make it look
like it's safe stuff coming from a trusted source.
A program circulating online helps hackers build those fake pages. Users
who follow an e-mail pointing them to one of the pages would see an
error message that claims the video they want won't play without
installing new software first. That error message includes a link the
hacker has provided to a malicious program, which delivers a virus.
Even worse: once the computer is infected, it's simple for the hacker to
silently redirect the victims to a real YouTube page to see videos they
were hoping to see - and hide the crime.
"It's spot-on accurate, and that is scary," said Jamz Yaneza, threat
research manager for security software company Trend Micro. "If I were
watching YouTube videos all day I would probably click on this one."
The tactic itself isn't new: There's a constant push by criminals to
build more convincing spoofs of legitimate sites to trick people into
downloading harmful software. And the latest attacks don't target any
vulnerability in the YouTube site.
But it highlights the fact that criminals are getting better at creating
bogus sites and developing so-called "social engineering" methods to
fool people.
Fortunately, truly alert Internet users can still see the telltale
warning signs with the fake YouTube pages. For one, the Web browser
won't show the real YouTube's Internet address. And to even see the
malicious page, you have to first follow a link that's sent to you,
which is often a tip-off that you should independently verify whether
the site is legitimate.


--Bob Ringwald K6YBV
Note new e-mail address rsr at ringwald.com
530/642-9551
916/806-9551 Cell
www.ringwald.com
Fulton Street Jazz Band

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--Thomas Jefferson, 3rd. President, Term of Office: January 20, 1777 to 
January 20, 1781.