Gumblar Virus Becoming A Major Threat

Experts are warning that the Gumblar virus is mutating and quickly becoming a massive security threat.

Never heard of the Gumblar virus? Nor have most people, but it’s rapidly becoming a major threat to PC users.

It works by hitting computers via vulnerabilities in some versions of PDF reader and Flash player software. Once PC has been infected, the virus redirects Google search results to sites that load more malware on the PC or let criminals steal login details for banking, social networking and websites.

Now Gumblar is spreading via compromised sites – so-called drive-by download exploits. Although Gumblar has been around for some time, it’s recently mutated, changing its style of attack, taking malicious code from a web page based in China, and developing new techniques to avoid detection, according to the Guardian.

Mary Landesman, a senior security researcher with ScanSafe, told the newspaper:

"The Gumblar attacks have morphed again. What we’re really looking at here can only be described as a botnet of compromised websites. And a growing one at that."

The new Gumblar can effectively target Google Chrome users by skillfully avoid its blacklisted sites. Sophos claims Gumblar is now responsible for 42% of all malicious code found on websites, while in the last week alone instances of Gumblar being found have increased two-and-a-half times.