subtitle malware attack

[silicon_toad2000]

http://www.news.com.au/technology/online/hacking/movie-and-tv-pirates-targeted-in-malware-attack-using-completely-overlooked-technique/news-story/7c85241802d88dd64463bdc326cf6673

The delivery technique used to deploy the malware is cunning. For hackers to get access to your device they either need to trick you into visiting a malicious website or trick you into downloading a malicious file.

In this particular case the malware is embedded in the subtitle files in what Checkpoint described as “a completely overlooked technique”.

The malware is effectively dumped onto the victim’s desktop when the movie subtitles are loaded by the user’s media player. The reason it has a good chance of success, according to Checkpoint, is because the subtitles repositories are, in practice, treated as a trusted source by the media player.

[White Stripes]

is because the subtitles repositories are, in practice, treated as a trusted source by the media player.

VLC has this auto-download turned off by default... click view then untick 'download subtitles' if you or someone else turned it on...