'Fireball' Malware From China Infects Over 250 Million Computers Worldwide
A malware that originated in China, dubbed as Fireball, has reportedly infected more than 250 million computers around the world.
The report came from the IT security company Check Point, which added that the Fireball virus "takes over target browsers and turns them into zombies." The cybersecurity firm also said that Fireball is operated by a digital marketing company from Beijing called Rafotech.
Experts believe Rafotech was able to spread Fireball through a method called bundling. Users get victimized when they download certain programs where Fireball is secretly embedded. As the desired software gets installed on the computer, so is the Fireball malware.
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Check Point reported that there were two main methods how Fireball works after it entered computer systems. First, it can run any code that prompts the downloads of files and other kinds of malware without the user knowing it. It can also manipulate the machine's browsers in order to generate income for the hackers through the opening of online advertisements.
"Currently, Fireball installs plug-ins and additional configurations to boost its advertisements, but just as easily it can turn into a prominent distributor for any additional malware," Check Point further explained.
Fireball also has the capacity to carry out other more dangerous hacking activities such as collecting private and personal information, as well as using the infected machines as spying tools.
Once Fireball gets inside a computer, Rafotech gains access to the machine to set "fake search engines" as default tools for internet browsing. This is how the crooks are able to collect the said private information and invade victims' privacy.
Apart from the over 250 million computers, the research revealed that the Fireball malware has also gotten into 20 percent of "corporate networks." Of the infected computers worldwide, India (25.3 million or 10.1 percent) and Brazil (24.1 million or 9.6 percent) get the highest fraction of compromised machines.
They are followed by Mexico (16.1 million or 6.4 percent), Indonesia (13.1 million or 5.2 percent) and the United States (5.5 million or 2.2 percent).
Check Point provided some pointers to determine whether a computer is infected with Fireball: "To check if you're infected, first open your web browser. Was your home-page set by you? Are you able to modify it? Are you familiar with your default search engine and can modify that as well? Do you remember installing all of your browser extensions?"
If the answer to the following questions is generally "No," there is a high chance that the computer has been compromised.
