Phony add-on attack attempts to steal bank info..
A new attack for the Mozilla Firefox browser is setting off alarms in the security world.
According to researchers from BitDefender, a new attack is being spread under the guise of a browser plug-in. The malware reportedly disguises itself as Greasemonkey, a plug-in which allows users to write and execute custom scripts to add or augment web page data.
Once installed, the malicious code runs every time the browser is loaded. The malware will attempt to seek out stored details for popular banks and online payment services, such as PayPal and eGold.
Any captured information is then uploaded to a server in Russia.
"Users should be aware of the risks they are facing if such confidential information is stolen," remarked Viorel Canja, who heads up BitDefender's anti-virus lab.
Though a trojan masquerading as a Firefox plug-in is unusual, disguising malware as browser and system add-ons is a common social engineering practice.
Many trojans attempt to lure victims by pretending to be ActiveX files for Internet Explorer. Attackers also commonly use the promise of pornographic or sensational videos to dupe users into downloading malware-laden fake codec files.