The malware's objective is help cybercriminals earn money from AdSense by redirecting traffic running through popular search engines - such as Google , Yahoo or Bing - and replace the results with others obtained from a Google custom search, according to a May 16 Bitdefender blog post.

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The malware is spread via installers that are distributed through unscrupulous download sites and by exploiting web application vulnerabilities, Checkmarx Director of Product Marketing Amit Ashbel told SCMagazine. The malware then tells the browser to redirect traffic to a different address. Ashbel said the botnet has gone to great lengths to reconfigure browser settings and network communication configurations and the malware's ability to tamper with AdSense should worry Google.

The malware's capabilities lead Ashbel to believe the botnet's author has plans to use the malware for other types of attacks in the future. To prevent infection, Ashbel said users shouldn't download applications from shady sources, ensure the certificates details of their search engines are valid, and use a limited Windows account if possible in order to limit administrative privileges that the botnet could potentially exploit.

CEO of Cymmetria Gadi Evron told SCMagazine. SC Media arms cybersecurity professionals with the in-depth, unbiased business and technical information they need to tackle the countless security challenges they face and establish risk management and compliance postures that underpin overall business strategies.

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nibexyxuro.web.fc2.com Blog: Making Money with Your Own Stealthy Botnet - Part II

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