Harry Potter Virus Stealing Credit Card Information

Published July 27, 2009, 1:00 a.m. EDT

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Updated July 27, 2009, 12:00 a.m. EDT

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A month after cyber criminals took advantage of Michael Jackson's death by sending spam messages that contained a computer virus able to steal bank-account information and passwords (CardLine, 7/11), researchers have discovered a new wave of spam attacks focused around the release of the latest Harry Potter movie. Researchers at Romania-based security-software provider BitDefender have detected malware that contains a virus that steals credit card information from individuals who attempt to watch the latest Harry Potter movie free online, the company says in a statement. When users click on a link directing them to a free viewing of the movie, the link directs them to an infested Web site. The site tricks users into believing several viruses have infected their computer. It then asks them to download antivirus software. If they click "OK" or "Cancel" when prompted, the site downloads the virus to their computer, BitDefender says.

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