Hackers can now steal information from your computer (including bank logins and passwords) through the use of a "stegobot" that use a technique called steganography, which is hiding information in image, sound or video files. The Stegobot can enter your computer at the time you upload photographs onto Facebook and it can then steal vital keystroke information which would contain websites you visited and information you entered into those websites. You can imagine the rest from here.
Researchers at the University of Illinois and the Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology in New Delhi, India came up with the Stegobot to illustrate how easy it was for hackers to enter your computer by these means.
"The botnet incorporates the information into any image you are uploading on Facebook. And then it waits for one of your friends to see your profile. Stegobot can then infect your computer even if your friend has not clicked on the corrupted image. In case your friend is also infected with the botnet, then any photo they upload will also pass on the stolen data. And the relaying of the data can eventually land into the hands of a botmaster, who will be then able to access your identity," according to Mr Thiyaku.
“If one of your friends is a friend of a friend of the botmaster, the information transfers hop by hop within the social network, finally reaching the botmasters,” said Amir Houmansadr, one of the engineers of the Stegobot at the University of Illinois.
The damage potential of this botnet is staggering. And so far, no remedies to it have been designed. Recently, we have witnessed an escalating spate of cyber attacks against American companies and the American government emanating from China and elsewhere across the globe. As the Stegobot is virtually undetectable by conventional methods it is clear that much more needs to be done to secure the internet as everything online has been shown to be highly vulnerable.
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