Video / Image / Media links infect comput

ATLANTA: Online videos are not just for bloopers and rants - some might also be conduits for malicious code that can infect your computer.

As anti-spam technology improves, hackers are finding new vehicles to deliver their malicious code. And some could be embedded in online video players, according to a report on Internet threats released on Tuesday by the Georgia Tech Information Security Center as it holds its annual summit.

The summit is gathering more than 300 scholars and security experts to discuss emerging threats for 2008 — and their countermeasures. Among their biggest foes are the ever-changing vehicles that hackers use to deliver "malware," which can silently install viruses, probe for confidential info or even hijack a computer.

"Just as we see an evolution in messaging, we also see an evolution in threats," said Chris Rouland, the chief technology officer for IBM Corp's Internet Security Systems unit and a member of the group that helped draft the report. "As companies have gotten better blocking e-mails, we see people move to more creative techniques."

With computer users getting wiser to e-mail scams, malicious hackers are looking for sneakier ways to spread the codes. Over the past few years, hackers have moved from sending their spam in text-based messages to more devious means, embedding them in images or disguised as Portable Document Format, or PDF, files.😛

"The next logical step seems to be the media players," Rouland said. There have only been a few cases of video-related hacking so far. One worm discovered in November 2006 launches a corrupt website without prompting after a user opens a media file in a player.😛

Another program silently installs spyware when a video file is opened.😛 Attackers have also tried to spread fake video links via postings on YouTube.😛 That reflects the lowered guard many computer users would have on such popular forums.