Privacy, Security & Virus Information

Battery Charger Opens the Back Door for Trojan Horses

Recent information has surfaced that computer owners have been inadvertently opening the back door for Trojan horses to enter their computer through something as innocent as a USB driven battery charger. Security experts have announced their findings recently and fear that these breaches may have been going on since 2007. There seems to be no end to the deviousness and ingenuity of computer hackers, but this recent disclosure is among the most shocking. The compromised battery charger comes from the highly respected Energizer Company who was reported to be highly concerned and embarrassed that their security has been invaded to such an extent.

The discovery was made by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security who pointed out that the virus was injected to Windows driven computers only through an infected piece of software that was supposed to monitor how much power was left in batteries used by the computer's accessories, in particular the keyboard and mouse. While the charger was sold mainly in the US, several thousand of the kits were also sold in the Europe with a very strong possibility that some of them made into the UK.

The Trojan horse is only activated once someone loads the Windows software from Energizer's Web site. The product's documentation included a link to www.energizer.com/usbcharger for the download. Once that link has been clicked on, the Trojan, identified as the Arugizer finds its way into the Energizer Duo USB battery charger software.

This includes sending files to the remote attacker or downloading other strains of malware, as instructed via commands on a back channel controlled by hackers.

Reading between the lines, no device is safe from cyber hackers, and the fact that they were able and willing to plant some fairly powerful malware and let it lie in wait for years till it finds a compromised computer to launch its attack, shows the extent of the sophistication and guile that they are prepared to go to in search of the rich pickings of cyber crime.

The secret of keeping your computer clean and clear of viruses is to avoid cutting corners The Energizer Duo Trojan is a classic example of why a computer owner can leave nothing to chance. Not every anti-virus software will pick up on these spywares sneaking in. If the back door is left open the damage and inconvenience caused can be considerable.

 

< Back