Hackers exploiting Myanmar crisis?

Please note that, while this appears to describe a real trojan horse, we have not been able to substantiate this through other virus security sites such as Symantec or McAfee. Additionally, other reports we have found on the internet regarding this virus (google) seem to be doing little more than repeating the information in this story and/or in the Sophos press release.

Found on the star-techcentral.com web site.

KUALA LUMPUR: Computer users should be wary if they receive e-mail with links to the Dalai Lama's website because one such e-mail going around comes with a malicious attachment, said security solutions vendor Sophos.

The e-mail claims to be a message of support for monks and other protesters in Myanmar, from the Dalai Lama. But the attached document, if opened, will attempt to exploit a Microsoft Word vulnerability to download a trojan program onto the victim's computer.

Sophos said the e-mail attachment bears the filename "hhdl burma_001.doc." This trojan opens a "backdoor" in infected computers to let the hacker control the computer remotely.

The hacker can then steal passwords and other important personal information, such as bank account numbers, residing on the computer whenever the machine is connected to the Internet.

"People around the world are hungry to hear about the latest situation in Myanmar and may be tempted to read this so-called message from the Dalai Lama," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos, in a press release.

Anyone receiving the e-mail should delete it immediately without reading the attached message, he added. Computer users are reminded that they should also have an antivirus program running on their machines and to download the very latest virus definitions. For more details, go to www.sophos.com/security/blog/2007/09/606.html.