BitTorrent users become victims of scareware
By Joe Elvin
15/09/2011
Thousands of web users may have inadvertently downloaded malware onto their computers, after file-sharing website BitTorrent was infiltrated by cyber-criminals early this morning.
Hackers managed to alter the website so that anybody using its download software was also presented with fake anti-virus software warning about threats to their computer systems.
The scareware asks users for payment in exchange for ridding the systems of these alleged threats.
Security experts have warned about the dangers of downloading illegal software using BitTorrent, but this is thought to be one of the most wide-spread threats to have come from the software. Itpro.co.uk reports that malware group Security Shield is thought to be behind the hack.
The news highlights the need for those using download software to invest in high-quality IT management systems in order to protect against accidentally downloading malware.
BitTorrent took its website offline for a couple of hours earlier today to neutralise the threat and was successful in clearing it from its systems.
A warning published to acknowledge the threat claimed that only the users of the domain 'utorrent.com' were affected, although IT security experts have warned users of bittorrent.com to be wary as well.
Speaking to BBC News, Sophos security expert Paul Ducklin confirmed: "Since the two sites share the same network you might want to ignore that blog update and assume that any downloads from BitTorrent Inc were dodgy and give yourself a thorough anti-malware checkover."
