According to some security experts, Lizamoon
is the most successful SQL injection attack ever witnessed. During its
short lifespan it has already compromised hundreds of thousands of
websites. While reports vary on the number of infected sites, some
put the number over four million. But these sites aren’t even the real
victims; they’re just pawns in a larger scareware plot to steal people’s money.
It all starts when a line of java script
is surreptitiously injected into a webpage’s code. The script redirects
the website’s visitors to a rogue AV site that initiates what appears to be a
comprehensive anti-malware scan on the victim’s computer. The scan
finishes up rather quickly (certainly faster than any legitimate computer scan
would take) and alerts victims that their computers have been infected with
Trojans, worms, and other malware.
The victims are then
prompted with an option to “remove” the malware by downloading a
“malware-removing” executable. At this point, those who have been duped
into downloading the fraudulent software program, which is called “Windows
Stability Center,” receive offers to purchase additional software that will
allegedly remove the malware from their computers.
Recently, it was
reported that the SQL injection redirects are ineffective because the
compromised websites have been shut down. Regardless, we should all keep
an eye on Lizamoon because it has already proven itself to be a formidable
threat.
As one computer
security blog points out, Lizamoon is easily avoidable with a little bit of
common sense. The simple solution is to not download any unknown
files. For a bit of added security, it’s wise to become familiar with
your computer’s existing antivirus software. If you know what it’s
called and what it looks like, you’ll be able to recognize a fake when it rears
its ugly face.
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