AOL Confirms AIM Trojan

NEW YORK – America Online instant messenger users have been hit recently with a trojan, the company announced, and a select number of AIM screen names have been suspended as a result.

The New York-based media conglomerate would not disclose the number of accounts infected by the malware, but said that its in-house instant messenging spim unit first identified the problem as the Oscarbot trojan and took action by shutting down certain accounts to stop the spread. Users whose accounts were suspended reportedly lost the entire contents of their buddy lists.

The Oscarbot, which first emerged as Doyorg, is programmed to specifically wreak havoc on AOL's AIM product and quickly spreads through buddy lists. According to eWeek, the trojan spreads through a URL embedded in the infected IM that uses the lure "Check out this" or "I thought you'd want to see this" to get the user to click through. Once the user clicks through, they are asked to run an executable file that installs the trojan.

Oscarbot can also contact a remote Internet relay chat server and log on to a specified channel and wait for further instructions from a remote user. Once installed on a computer, the malware creates a copy of itself in the Windows system folder and edits certain registry keys to ensure that it is run as a service when the system starts up.

Since the trojan was first discovered, AOL's AIM unit has been flooded with angry calls and emails from users who have had their accounts suspended and buddy lists wiped clean. AOL has requested that users whose accounts have been suspended contact the company's IM department for further instructions.

In the meantime, Graham Cluley of Sophos is urging companies to consider whether using IM is worth the risk of having corporate networks invaded.

"Fundamentally, many businesses will have to ask their staff if they really need IM for their day-to-day work, and if not, it may be more sensible to take it away," he told ComputerWorld. "We're certainly seeing more instant messaging malware being written, although they haven't yet had the same kind of impact as email-aware worms or Internet worms."

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Anissa Kate, Jordan Starr Top AEBN for Q2 of 2025

AEBN has published its top-selling stars for the second quarter of 2025, with Anissa Kate landing atop the leaderboard for straight theaters and Jordan Starr heading up the gay rankings.

AEBN Reveals Eva Maxim as Top Trans Star for Q2 of 2025

AEBN has published its top trans stars list for the second quarter of 2025, with Eva Maxim landing atop the leaderboard.

France Reinstates Age Verification Rule for EU Sites

France’s highest court, the Council of State, on Tuesday reinstated age verification rules for EU-based sites under the country’s Security and Regulation of the Digital Space (SREN) law, ruling in favor of the French government and against Hammy Media.

Whisper Fans Joins Pineapple Support as Supporter-Level Sponsor

Whisper Fans has joined the ranks of over 70 adult businesses and organizations committing funds and resources to Pineapple Support.

Utherverse Launches 'Red Light Center' Virtual World

Virtual reality and metaverse technology company Utherverse has launched its new virtual world, RedLightCenter.io.

European Commission Approves AV Guidelines, Unveils Prototype App

The European Commission on Monday released its final, approved guidelines for protecting minors online under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and made public a “white label” age verification app intended to help sites and platforms comply with age verification rules under the DSA.

New Membership Site 'Sluts Corner' Launches

R18 Entertainment has launched a new membership site, SlutsCorner.com.

Roxie Rae Relaunches Site Through XSiteAbility

Roxie Rae has relaunched her site through XSiteAbility.

Show More