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BitDefender Labs Detect Sony DRM Trojan; Trojan is confirmed to be in the wild and spreading

Business Wire, Nov 10, 2005

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- BitDefender(TM), an award-winning provider of antivirus software and data security solutions, announced at 12:15 P.M. GMT today that its labs detected a new trojan which uses the cover provided by the Sony DRM component to hide itself. This is the first ever observed instance of malware using the Sony DRM rootkit detected and analyzed by Mark Russinovich. According to BitDefender Labs, the trojan installs an IRC backdoor on the affected system and may have other functions.

"We have been aware for some time that malware can be written which may exploit the Sony DRM component's hiding capabilities for its own good. Therefore, BitDefender software has been upgraded to include heuristic detection for all software trying to use this technique. We can confirm that the trojan is in the wild and spreading at this time. This is a worrying confirmation of our concerns." declared Viorel Canja, Head of BitDefender Labs.

BitDefender users are protected against this new threat, since it is detected proactively and blocked. A signature update is also underway, to aid administrators in identifying the new threat.

A full technical analysis of the malware and an update to this article are forthcoming and will be published on the BitDefender corporate website (http://www.bitdefender.com) later today.

About BitDefender(TM)

BitDefender is a leading provider of security solutions that satisfy the protection requirements of today's computing environment. The company offers the industry's fastest and most effective line of anti-virus and email security defense, setting new standards for timely threat detection and for simple installation, use and updates. BitDefender delivers effective threat management for over 41 million home and corporate users in more than 100 countries. BitDefender is a division of SOFTWIN and is headquartered in Bucharest, Romania, with offices in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Tettnang, Germany; and Barcelona, Spain. Further information about BitDefender can be obtained by visiting: http://www.bitdefender.com/us.>