LOS ANGELES, Oct. 18, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CyberDefender Corporation (Nasdaq:CYDE) today released an important alert for consumers following political candidates running in fall elections: Cyber criminals are attaching malware to online stories and images of candidates running in both National and State elections scheduled for November. The upswing in spam and infections delivered by clicking on links offered in search results appears to be bi-partisan.
Utilizing a variety of search terms to unleash malicious attacks, cyber criminals are exploiting consumer interest in candidate platforms and debates. CyberDefender Research Labs highlighted the following examples:
-
Christine O'Donnell: Searches for Delaware Republican candidate for Senate keyword "Christine O'Donnell Delaware" lead to an infected Google search Image result. This image result was attached to a browser specific URL that will drop either a Trojan Downloader or a Fake Antivirus Security Tool. The Trojan Downloader is dropped if the user uses the Firefox browser, while Security Tool is dropped while using the Google Chrome browser.
-
Meg Whitman: Searches for California's Republican candidate for Governor keyword "Meg Whitman" also lead to an infected Google search image result. CyberDefender recently found numerous images that re-direct to a fake Firefox update page where the user is asked to download a file that is a Trojan downloader. Other times the user is shown a Fake Adobe player download page.
- Jerry Brown: Consumers using search engines to follow activities of California's Democratic candidate for Governor with the keyword "Jerry Brown" can also get infected Google search results. Images of Brown re-direct to a Fake Antivirus scan page that encourages the user to download a Fake Anti Virus program called "Security Tool."
CyberDefender Research Lab experts suggest the following safe searching practices for consumers during this election season:
- Be sure to enable your Antivirus software before searching
- Before viewing images in Google Image search, update the Google "Search Settings" under "Safe Search Filtering" by enabling the "Use strict filtering" option
- Search for candidate information and news from well-known news sources or sites linked through the official party sites
- Check all website URLs carefully before clicking, and do not click on any sites where the candidate's name is misspelled
- If you have already been infected then we recommend that you use an Antivirus program such as the CyberDefender Early Detection Center 3.0 to disinfect your computer
For information on the latest Internet threats, visit CyberDefender Research Labs online.
About CyberDefender
CyberDefender Corporation (Nasdaq:CYDE) is a provider of Internet security software, utilities and Live PC Support services that work together to ensure maximum safety for consumers in a digital world. The company develops and markets antispyware/antivirus software and remote, live tech support services. In addition, CyberDefender offers identity protection and computer optimization services. With millions of active users on its cloud based collaborative internet security network, Argus, CyberDefender leverages the power of community to protect its customers from the rapidly growing number of new online threats every year. CyberDefender products are fully compatible with Microsoft's XP, Vista, and 7 Operating systems. All products are available at www.cyberdefender.com/">www.cyberdefender.com.
The CyberDefender Corporation logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=7874