Hackers Use Naked Video of ESPN Star Erin Andrews to Attack Your PC
NEW YORK (CBS) Hackers are using an illegally-taped peephole video that has naked shots of glamorous ESPN sports reporter Erin Andrews as a lure to get click-happy web surfers to download dangerous malware to their computers, according to a computer security website.
Andrews has become a popular fixture on ESPN and the web as a vivacious and beautiful reporter. So much so, that someone used a peephole camera to record video of Andrews as she disrobed.
Photos: Erin Andrews Naked Peephole Video Scandal
Naturally, the video went viral online and ESPN lawyers have been scrambling to shut down websites that post links to the material.
That means it's getting increasingly hard to find on the web, but that hasn't stopped the growing demand for it.
And it's that drive that hackers are plugging into, according to sophos.com, a website that sells security software, but also provides security news.
One version of the hack, fools surfers into clicking on what appears to be a CNN version of the video, according to Sophos. When users hit the play button they are presented with a pop up window warning them that their popup blocker has blocked the video player window and they must launch another player. Doing so doesn't play the video, but it does install a Trojan horse with which hackers can later attack the computer, says the site.
Both Apple and Windows computers are vulnerable, according to Sophos. It is not yet clear what effect the virus will have on computers or how widely it will spread.