Warning: Gangsta Bucks, TDL4 botnet / rootkit and paid installs

Hey you may have seen some people pushing for "buying installs" as part of a new affiliate program called Gangsta Bucks (screenshot attached). This affiliate program pays $20 to $200 per install, no questions asked.

Well, I just found this big article on the SecureList website from Kaspersky Anti-Virus Labs that discusses the TDL4 botnet and even gives a pic of the Gangsta Bucks website as the affiliate program that is spreading this nasty rootkit.

Apparently, this is a very highly evolved rootkit that has already infected over 4.5 million computers, forming an "indestructable" botnet through p2p downloads, illegal file shares and of course affiliate programs.

You can read more about it here:
http://www.securelist.com/en/analysi...0/TDL4_Top_Bot
http://www.securelist.com/en/analysis/204792131/TDSS
and you can test your computer and remove infections with this free tool:
http://support.kaspersky.com/viruses...?qid=208280684


Bottom line, STAY CLEAR of those programs offering to pay for "installs".

Luke,

This seems crucial to all of us, and it should be handled as a very urgent matter that needs attention to.

I personally have never worked with them but have heard of them. Perhaps you can make this a sticky thread for a while so that others are aware of this?

Just a suggestion :)

Thanks for posting that. We wouldn't want our industry helping to spread such a nasty thing.