Spam E-mail Reveals Internet Security Threat, Experts Warn

[NullDevice]

Unsolicited e-mails with the subject line, "What does your Lover do on the Internet?" have been circulating recently, offering an $89 software program called LoverSpy. Computer experts warn the spyware program is for real and poses a serious threat to Internet security.


"Spy on Anyone by sending them an E-Greeting Card!" reads the spam.


However, unlike the many weight loss and organ enlargement ads or requests for assistance from the widows of deposed foreign dictators, this latest cyber mass mailing may actually be telling the truth.


"It actually does what's advertised," said Mike Cermak the owner of TechSupportGuy.com in an interview with CNSNews.com. TechSupportGuy.com is an Internet forum dedicated to addressing technical issues with computers.


"It does work, and from the couple [of] people I know who have had it, it works quite well," Cermak added.


The recipient of a LoverSpy E-Greeting Card would subsequently become vulnerable to having all of his or her computer activity - the visiting of websites, the opening of e-mails, the typing of passwords - monitored by the person who sent the E-greeting, and in real time, the software maker claims.


LoverSpy's website boasts that users of the software can monitor "every single Chat conversation [the targeted computer user has] on the Internet. In fact, every keystroke they type into the computer is recorded and sent to you in an organized report - every single web site they visit, whether using AOL, Internet Explorer, or Netscape."


CNSNews.com downloaded and tried the demo product, and it appeared to work as advertised. But several efforts to contact LoverSpy for comment were not successful. The website address of LoverSpy has been traced to a website in Moscow, according to the e-mail content filtering company, Clearswift, based in England.


According to Clearswift's Sept. 25 statement, a "careful analysis indicates that [LoverSpy] is, in fact, a repackaged version of well-known spyware named emailPI from a Washington, D.C.,-based company."

More Here : http://www.townhall.com/news/politic...0030929a.shtml

[Striek]

Unless you have a firewall... or an antivirus program... or script blocking... or if you know what you're doing...

Uneducated masses always make the best prey.

[mnchur]

i read about this on /. i think very interesting wish i though of it first :-)

[nihil]

Hi guys,

Tiger Shark reported this a few days ago. he e-mailed me with the site details and I downloaded the demo and tested it on a lab rat machine (stand alone) it works and was NOT detected by McAfee 7.0 or AVG 6.o both with the latest patterns. AdAware, SpyBot and SwatIT! also failed to detect it.

Tiger Shark's post was something like "look what came through my spam filter" or whatever.
I posted a reply on my findings, together with a zipped file of the proggy in .txt if anyone is interested.

It has been reported to AdAware, Semantec, McAfee, and the FBI Computer Crimes Department

Cheers

BTW the website is http://www.gokgle.us

And the company appears to be registered in California

[Striek]

Holy s***! It blasts through antivirus and spyware killers! Every week I must hear of something new that tells me how insecure everyone really is. It would punch right through most firewalls to, I guess. The only thing left then is baselining all our systems. Every time I hear of something like this, it pushes me more to finding some good baselining software or an IDS that would alert me when anything changes.

[nihil]

Hi Striek,


It still has to get to run on your machine. A firewall won't block it unless you have set up rules to block all executables. You might like to look for "MoOutlook Security" from Mobiusware, and Sentinel v1.1 by Derek de Oliveira which should be at RuntimeWare.com.

The first one blocks executables running from Outlook, Outlook Express, WinZip and IE. The second one is a baseliner of sorts.

While you are at it please check out WinPatrol from BillP Studios...this will warn of new programs, additions to the start menu and the like.

Cheers

[Falcon21]

Can disable html in email.

[tutsi]

ya guyz, if it is a software it has to have bugs in it.. but what is the part of learning process is, to stay updated and remove the existing flaws.. I think these problems keep the learning flame in us intact .. problems will come..problems will go but what will remain is how we have handled it...So keep learning ,keep updating..

Do i sound philosphical?? i am and i love it..