Malware abuses Chromium Embedded Framework, developers fight back

[Jack]

A new version of the TDL rootkit-type malware program downloads and abuses an open-source library called the Chromium Embedded Framework that allows developers to embed the Chromium Web rendering engine inside their own applications, according to security researchers from antivirus vendor Symantec.

In an effort to temporarily block the abuse, CEF project administrators suspended the framework's primary download location on Google Code.

The TDL malware generates profit for its authors by redirecting the victims' search results to websites and services of a dubious nature, by displaying pop-up advertisements for various products and services or by infecting computers with other threats as part of a pay-per-install malware distribution scheme.

The latest TDL variant no longer uses custom code to implement its Web browser functionality, and instead relies on CEF, which it downloads from the project's site on Google Code. This allows the malware to have smaller components that are easier to update, the Symantec researchers said Friday in a blog post.

Read more: http://www.networkworld.com/news/2013/032513-malware-abuses-chromium-embedded-framework-268067.html

 

[Gnosis]

Do malicious thugs really think that they can manipulate Google's flagship browser? Give me a break. Those cats at Google are not exactly what you might call dummies, and they have hundreds of millions------IN LIQUIDITY.
Sharp minds and billions of dollars > malicious minds and thousands of dollars. Seriously.
They might have a hay day with it in the short term, with a little luck, but it won't prove fruitful.
They might as well send out a noisy prank virus if it is attention that they are looking for.