A trojan virus hidden in a message which claims to have photographic evidence of Osama Bin Laden killing himself has surfaced, virus experts warn.
The virus is a 'standard` trojan, says CEO of local Sophos distributor NetXactics Brett Myroff, and could compromise a user`s security once infected.
"We are not classifying it as a major outbreak. In South Africa, we have not heard of any infections yet, and the virus is not self-propagating."
"Every trojan is a threat, but I think people are becoming more wary of them because of their prevalence lately."
The virus could allow hackers to take control of a computer, says Symantec SA corporate account manager Stefan Le Roux.
"I think, from a damage point of view, the most significant threat is that hackers could capture keystrokes, giving them access to passwords and so on. It is not very high on our radar and we have rated it as a medium damage threat with a low distribution risk."
A typical message carrying the virus reads as follows: "
Although the virus does not represent a significant threat at present, the fact that it is contained in such a topical message means the potential to spread remains, says Le Roux.
"Bin Laden is used as a drawcard. It is something that is front of mind in the media, so many people could be tempted to open it. People are curious by nature."
Myroff agrees: "If you don`t know where messages come from, don`t open them, no matter what the content is."
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