A computer virus that aims to infect Windows machines and steal data can also opportunistically infect Apple's Mac OS X and VMware virtual machines, security firms said this week.
The malware, called Crisis, can spread through the autorun functionality of removable disk drives, install components on Windows Mobile devices and copy itself to virtual machine instances. The latter functionality is the most interesting, because malware typically attempts to avoid virtual machines, as attackers worry that any computers running the technology are generally owned by security analysts looking to reverse engineer malicious software, says Vikram Thakur, principal security response manager for Symantec.
"When attackers detect a virtual-machine instance, they (typically) turn themselves off," he said. "This is a case where the position is totally switched around. They want to run in the virtual machine."
When Crisis runs on a Windows system, it treats any virtual-machine instance as a file system, mounts it as a drive, and then copies itself into VM instance. The next time the virtual machine is run, it will be infected with Crisis, according to an analysis published by Symantec on Aug. 20.
"The functionality to mount a virtual machine ... is often used to patch VM images," said Thakur. "It is a functionality; it is not a bug."
The ultimate mission of the Crisis malware is to install a backdoor and request commands from a server at a specific Internet address. On Mac OS X, the malicious code installs itself as either a user, or--if possible--an administrator. On both Windows and Mac systems, the program will monitor and record activities in several instant messaging programs--such as Adium and Skype as well as popular browsers. The information is then sent back to the command-and-control server.
The program is not currently spreading. Antivirus researchers obtained copies of the malware from VirusTotal, but it's not clear where the program originated.
"This threat has not yet been found in the wild, and so far there is no indication that this Trojan has infected users. So right now the threat is considered to be a low risk," Mac security firm Intego stated in an initial analysis of the threat posted on July 25.
To read the original eWeek article, click here: Newly Detected Crisis Virus Infects Windows, Macs and Virtual Machines
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