Security threats Toolkit

Firefox hit by Trojan

Tags:
Firefox

Dawn Kawamoto CNET News

Published: 27 Jul 2006 09:25 BST

A new Trojan horse making the rounds has been installing itself as a Firefox extension, according to security company McAfee.

The FormSpy Trojan attacks computers that have already been infected with the Downloader-AXM Trojan, according to a security advisory McAfee issued on Tuesday. Once FormSpy is executed, it installs itself as a component of the Firefox Web browser.

The FormSpy spyware then gleans sensitive information, such as credit card and bank account numbers, from the user's browser and forwards it to a malicious Web site. But this Trojan is capable of other tricks as well, McAfee noted.

The main executable is also capable of sniffing passwords from traffic for ICQ (the "I seek you" program that alerts users to the presence of acquaintances online), FTP (file transfer protocol), IMAP (Internet message access protocol, an email management program) and POP3 (post office protocol, a data format for email), McAfee warned.

Although the FormSpy Trojan is circulating, it is considered a low risk, McAfee said. What's more, people may have already taken steps to mitigate the earlier Downloader-AXM Trojan that is needed for the FormSpy Trojan to take hold.