Hit by malware
A new malware strain affects Chrome and Firefox, able to block encrypted web traffic. Security researchers at Kaspersky discovered the malware, known as Reductor, in April this year. The team conducted a full investigation and has now published its findings in a report.
Reductor is a remote access Trojan (RAT), which leaves the infected system open to vulnerabilities on a network. An attacker could upload, download and execute files as well. Researchers, though, have not yet pinpointed exactly how its creators intended to use it.
“Our analysis of the malware allowed us to confirm that the operators have some control over the target network channel. Operators could replace legitimate installers with infected individuals,” Kaspersky said. “This puts the attacker in a very exclusive club, with capabilities that few other operators in the world have.”
The malware appears to have only targeted users in Russia and Belarus. There are no reports in other parts of the world. Once threats like Reductor are identified, antivirus companies such as Kaspersky add them to their databases of known threats so they can be detected and deleted during a standard scan.
The best way to avoid any malware infection is to always be careful online: avoid receiving any email attachments you don’t expect and don’t download software from unofficial sources. For situations where malware is interfering with your defences, it is important to use anti-virus software and keep it up to date with the latest threat definitions to protect against newly detected threats.
If you liked this post, then you may also enjoy this one.
Author: PC-GR
The World of Technology
