Erin Andrew Peephole Video Links Spread Malware
The ESPN sports reporter, Erin Andrews, never got so much coverage for her game coverage until the news broke that there was a video of Erin Andrews naked, taken through a peephole, floating around the web.
Beware before you go searching for the Erin Andrew Peephole Video:
Careful where you stick your cursor, you get end up with a dirty virus.
The video, which has been removed from YouTube, appears to have been taken with some sort of spy cam through a hotel room peephole. It has been speculated that the video was either taken in Alabama or Portland .. The video is reported to have first been published on Dailymotion.com by a username Goblazers1. Lawyers for Erin Andrews threatened to prosecute any one linking to or showing the video, which of course sent internet searches for the video through the web roof.
The video, which was taken without Andrew's consent, is such an obvious invasion of privacy that even TMZ declared no intention of purchasing or publishing it. Reportedly the video was both grainy and mundane, showing Andrews doing her hair and talking on the phone. There's nothing there worth a computer virus and that is just what many curious web searchers have gotten for their trouble.
Internet scammers pay attention to hot Google trends to set up web sites that may appear to be legit but will leave you with a computer virus.
"Hackers are no slacks when it comes to taking advantage of a hot internet search trend, and they have been quick to set up bogus WebPages claiming to contain the video footage of Ms Andrews in her hotel room," said Graham Cluley of Sophos.
How do these malware scams work?
First scammers bait browsers with hot button key words like Erin Andrews. Some bogus web sites were even spelled Aaron Andrews, possibly to catch those hearing the news and not knowing how to spell Erin. Pages may even appear to look like a page from a legit site like CNN.
Then it may say something like LIVE VIDEO PLAYER BLOCKED, allowing online lookers to believe the video was blocked by their pop up blocker.
Here's where the scammers get the curious and disappointed. "To view your video, please launch the LIVE VIDEO PLAYER below," and with one click you've just downloaded malicious malware.
Apple Users Aren't Immune
Both Apple and Microsoft users have been infected by these viruses, so beware where you click. Yes, there are many less Mac infections compared to Windows but that does not mean that owners of the new Mac Notebooks should feel immune.
There have been cases of Mac malware that in which viewers are promised pornographic photos if they install an ActiveX component. In fact, the viewers are rewarded with a Trojan horse and have turned over control of their computer to hacker.
Some say there is no bad press. Erin Andrews might disagree. But the naked peephole video has given some helpful press for web users. Trying to get "naked" on the web just isn't a safe practice.
Gloss