A new Trojan called T900 can evade being detected by many antivirus apps, according to Palo Alto Networks, the IT firm that made the discovery.
Basically, when the T9000 infects a computer, it collects information about the owner. It attacks certain programs such as Skype, wherein it can record chat messages, voice calls, but it does not stop there.
"[D]uring a recent investigation we found a backdoor that takes a very different approach. We refer to this backdoor as T9000, which is a newer variant of the T5000 malware family, also known as Plat1," says Palo Alto Networks. "In addition to the basic functionality all backdoors provide, T9000 allows the attacker to capture encrypted data, take screenshots of specific applications and specifically target Skype users."
Researchers at Palo Alto Networks warn that T9000 can also gain access to an infected system, steal important files as well as usernames and passwords.
The company suggests that Skype users should not accept random request made by "explorer.exe" for using the Skype application.
IT security experts suggest that attackers have used T9000 against a number of organizations in the U.S. However, the Trojan can potentially infect computer systems and networks anywhere across the world.
Palo Alto Networks has released information related to T9000 so that computer users are aware of the new Trojan and take steps to prevent any compromise of their system.
The author of the latest Trojan has taken a lot of measures to avoid being tracked by many well-known and commonly used antivirus tools such as INCAInternet, Qihoo 360, Rising, Kaspersky, Avira, Tencent, JiangMin, AhnLab, Micropoint, DoctorWeb, Baidu, AVG, McAfee, Panda, Norton, Comodo, TrustPort, BitDefender and more.
Skype is a popular communication tool for both individuals and businesses. The cross-platform messaging service has over 300 million monthly active users, which means that millions of its users are at risk from T9000.
Skype has been taking steps to increase user safety, and in January the company announced that it will no longer show IP address of customers.
"Skype is fully committed to delivering as safe and secure of an experience as possible to our customers. We have recently introduced the ability to hide a Skype user's IP address and we've set this as a default status in the latest versions of Skype," says the Skype Team.
"Starting with this update to Skype and moving forward, your IP address will be kept hidden from Skype users. This measure will help prevent individuals from obtaining a Skype ID and resolving to an IP address," it added.
It remains to be seen how Skype deals with the new Trojan.
