Large scale Russian malware attack imminent

Reports say server loaded with viruses

3 August 2007 10:33 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

Trend Micro is reporting that a large-scale security attack could be about to launch on the web.

Trend Micro researchers have spied a Russian server loaded with more than 400 different pieces of malware.

A senior threat analyst at Trend Micro traced the site's server to a Russian IP address.

He reported three Trojan viruses Dropper.cko, Clicker.qu and Polycrypt.g.

Apparently these three Trojan families hijack Internet Explorer on compromised PCs and direct users to porn sites.

The firm also reports discovering some Italian-language web pages loaded with malicious coding that can hijack PCs who browse on the sites. These apparently point back to the same Russian group.

"Looking at these massive samples of malware, we can't help to think that there's something brewing in Russia", said Carolyn Guevarra, a Trend Micro researcher, on the team's blog.

Trend Micro has blocked the malicious websites for its customers and is working to develop more information on the possible attack plot.