A few days ago we reported about a new virus that had users of the Japanese p2p client Winny who fancy hentai porn worried that they might get caught red-handed.

Today another new malware scam is the star – this one is trying to trick file sharers into paying up some good money for downloading illegal content.

Apparently, the code shows a box that reads: “Warning! Piracy detected!” and opens a bogus web page disguised as belonging to a company in Switzerland “committed to promoting the cultural and economic benefits of copyright.”

According to TorrentFreak which first reported about the malware, this phony company, the ICCP Foundation, also claims to have the support of the heavyweight watchdogs of the industry: the Recording Industry Association of America, the Motion Picture Association of America and others. “It appears to scan the user’s hard drive for .torrent files and displays these as ’evidence’ of an earlier infringement.”

File sharers who come across the malware are intimidated with the ‘prospect’ of having to go to jail but also pay some heavy fines, and then given the ‘chance’ of an out-of-court settlement of $400, by credit card.

The scam“is perhaps the first recorded case of cybercriminals ignoring the basics of micropayments, and emphasizing on profit margins by attempting to extort the amount of $400,” said security researcher Dancho Danchev who believes that those involved in spreading the malware have to do with the Koobface worm and a money-mule recruitment campaign.

Read more here:
New Malware Shakes Down BitTorrent Users