Click-fraud botnet infects 900K to earn money via Google AdSense

A click-fraud botnet dubbed “Redirector.Paco Trojan” has infected 900,000 IPs worldwide and has the ability to reconfigure browser settings and network communications. The malware is spread via installers that are distributed through unscrupulous download sites and by exploiting web application vulnerabilities, Checkmarx Director of Product Marketing Amit Ashbel told SCMagazine.com via emailed comments. Ashbel said the botnet has gone to great lengths to reconfigure browser settings and network communication configurations and the malware’s ability to tamper with AdSense should worry Google. “While the attack has targeted the PC communication channel, at the same time it has launched a man in the middle (MitM) attack technique tampering with Google’s results which I guess will have some level of impact (even if minor) on the search engine giant’s service,”  Ashbel said. Continue reading this article on SCMagazine.com.