Malware Threatens to Sue BitTorrent Downloaders

[Ian David]

A new malware scam is trying to dupe BitTorrent users into coughing up serious cash for illegally downloading copyrighted material.

The code displays a box with the message “Warning! Piracy detected!” and opens a web page purportedly run by a Swiss company “committed to promoting the cultural and economic benefits of copyright.”

The fake company, the ICCP Foundation, also claims to be backed by the Recording Industry Association of America, the Motion Picture Association of America and others. “It appears to scan the user’s hard drive for .torrent files and displays these as ’evidence’ of an earlier infringement,” wrote TorrentFreak, which first disclosed the malware.

Victims are are warned of possible imprisonment and fines, and given the option of “settling” the “case” for a one-time payment of $400, by credit card.

More:
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/04/ransomware

[Hawkeye-X]

1. I go to trusted sources for my bittorrents.

And I always check the files for crapware and deselect them before downloading 'em.

Hawkeye-X

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

11. How can you check them before downloading? I got careless recently and got a lot of

bad shit on my pc.

[Hawkeye-X]

13. I use utorrent and they give you the option to review what you are downloading

I mostly download old movies and DOS-based games.

[RKP5637]

2. They should first learn how to spell!!! n/t

[Turbineguy]

3. These people are

obviously Teabaggers trying to make a fast buck.

[RKP5637]

4. Ha, yep!!! No doubt!!! Good one!!! n/t

[surrealAmerican]

15. It's amazing that these scammers can't even use spell-check.

[Jkid]

5. They're really desperate at this point.

For that sweet, sweet greenbacks.

[superduperfarleft]

6. Who, malware programmers? n/t

[Smashcut]

7. OMG! A "subopena" is coming!!!

:scared:

[Towlie]

8. ... and you'll "recieve" it in a week. (You missed that one, didn't you?)

[Leftist Agitator]

9. You're a towel.

[Canuckistanian]

10. I've always wanted a subopena

They're much faster than the supra-openas.

[progressoid]

14. Maybe in Canada.

I once had a subopena that required hospitalization.

[KingFlorez]

12. This has got to be the funniest malware I've seen

Not that malware is funny, but this is such a joke. I know there are many people sitting at their computers terrified right now.