A malicious worm has been spreading quickly among Skype users which may take over your computer and ask for ransom in order to release its content.
The worm is spread through a Skype instant message which reads: “lol is this your new profile pic?” followed by a link to the supposed profile pic.
When a user click the link, it will download a ZIP file which opens a back door, allowing remote control of the affected PC.
Not only does this worm take over your PC, it also sends the link to your contact list, so the message can come from people you know and trust. The malware can take over your entire PC, demanding $200 within 48 hours to release it and threatening to tell the US government that you’ve been downloading prohibited material unless you pay up.
This malware also makes the PC redirect users to a number of sites which have .com, .pl and .kz suffix. This in turn generates revenue for the hackers via fraud clicks. According to Skype, they’re already aware of the malware and are acting vigilantly to put a stop on the virus. For now, the Microsoft-owned VOIP service strongly suggests to upgrade to the latest version of the software and applying the security features on our PC.
Source : makeuseof,Yugatech
