Malware has been identified on pro-Tibet websites that
could be politically motivated, according to security supplier
ScanSafe.
Malware was found on the
www.FreeTibet.org website
and the problem has now been rectified.
The human rights groups were targeted by a Trojan, according to
Spencer Parker, director of product management at ScanSafe.
"ScanSafe threat detection technology found an invisible iFrame
which re-directs innocent visitors to a malware-infected site that
we have tracked to servers hosted in Taiwan. Given the recent
events in Tibet and the protests around the forthcoming
Olympics and the Olympic Torch Run, there may be certain groups
that are particularly keen to monitor or disrupt activities of
pro-Tibet interests."
With the human rights issues in Tibet currently being
highlighted in the world's press, cybercriminals see websites such
as these as good targets for spreading malware.
"Given the world's attention on relations between China and
Tibet ahead of the Olympics, it makes sense that these sites would
be targeted as web surfers go online to learn more about Tibet and
Tibetan independence. We recommend web surfers take extreme caution
and that all websites review their security policies in the light
of these latest developments."