New computer virus records Windows desktops while users visit adult websites, sparking fears that hackers could use the footage to blackmail victims
- The malware records the desktop and can access passwords to send emails
- Researchers have warned it can use the footage to extort money from victims
- It claims to have recorded them via a webcam as they visited an adult porn site
A new harmful virus has been discovered which records victims’ desktops when they visit an adult website in a blackmail scam.
The malware, named Varenyky, has sparked fears that hackers could use the footage to extort users for money, antivirus maker ESET said in a report.
Researchers have also warned that it can steal passwords and access email accounts in order to send the recordings to contacts.
A new harmful virus has been discovered which records the victim’s desktop when they visit an adult website in a blackmail scam
Spying on users in France and infecting Windows desktops, the virus started by sending spam emails with dodgy smartphones promotions.
But it has recently developed into sending ‘sextortion’ emails to blackmail users, claiming to have recorded them via their webcam as they visited an adult porn site.
However, ESET claims messages contain a lie due to the malware only having the power to record the screen – not the victim – after infected code is triggered when a sex-related site is searched.
The video is then harvested in a server in a Tor network – but it is not currently known what the hackers will do with them.
Spying on users in France and infecting Windows desktops, the virus started by sending spam emails with dodgy smartphones promotions
ESET claim the malware may be used to extort money from victims using the videos as blackmail.
And the virus also includes a hidden a feature that can extract usernames and passwords to access users contacts – in order to email a recording to a significant individual in the blackmail scam.
The virus is still being developed due to features rapidly changing, ESET say.