[Idyllchat] Italian tourism web-sites hit by hackers

[Andi Cancelliere]

Here's an interesting news item.  Untours isn't affected, but be sure not to
visit any Italian based tourism web-sites for the time being.

  *Web site attack hits Italy tourism sites, says Trend Micro*

By Reuters
Several thousand Italian tourism Web sites have been infected by software
that quietly gains control of computers visiting them and seeks out
confidential financial data, a computer security firm said Monday.
BOSTON - In an Internet attack dubbed "The Italian Job," several thousand
Italian tourism Web sites have been infected by software that quietly gains
control of computers visiting them and seeks out confidential financial
data, a computer security firm said Monday.

Trend Micro said it detected more than 4,500 travel sites in Italy that have
been infected as part of a scheme through which data on computers that visit
those sites is being stolen and sent to a server located in Chicago, said
David Perry, a spokesman for the Japan-based company.

This marks the most widespread attack ever in which malicious software has
been spread by using infected Web sites, Perry said.

The rapidly spreading "Italian Job" program secretly installs so-called
trojan software that takes control of a computer, recording information
entered into the computer -- including credit card numbers and other
personal data sought by criminals.

The compromised sites were mainly small tourism sites bearing Italian Web
domains, including http://www.adriahotel.it, http://wwww.bestoftuscany.itand
http://www.mothertheesacause.info.

"Do not go to these sites," Perry said.

Surfers are only vulnerable to the attack if they are using versions of
Microsoft's Internet Explorer that are not up-to-date. Updates are available
at http://www.microsoft.com.

The programmers who launched the attack can control the software remotely,
reprogramming it to send the information elsewhere or perform additional
tasks.

"Your system belongs to them," Perry said. "If Chicago is shut down, they
they could move anywhere in the world.

Perry said it was not clear who the hackers were, why they targeted travel
sites in Italy, one of the world's most popular tourist destinations, or how
many computers had been infected by the software.

The attack, which Trend Micro first detected Friday, was engineered using
hacking software sold in Russia that costs around $700, Perry said.

  *Printable Version* <http://www.travelindustryreview.com/news/5623>  |
published Jun 19, 2007
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