Script kiddies have latched onto a minor glitch in Symantec security software to boot users off Internet Relay Chat (IRC) channels. Typing “startkeylogger” or “stopkeylogger” in an IRC channel results in the involuntary logoff of users of Norton Firewall and Norton Internet Security suites, The Washington Post reports.
The network security firm Sophos estimates that an unprotected computer has a 40 percent chance of being infected by a malicious worm within 10 minutes of being connected to the Internet. After an hour, the odds rise to 94 percent.
The use of keylogging software for criminal purposes appears to be hitting the major media. Using a recent police bust in Campina Grande, Brazil, as a jumping-off point, the New York Times (free registration required) presents an interesting look at the growing phenomenon of cybercrime by keylogging software.
