Beware of Fake SourceForge Sites Serving Up Malicious Downloads

Cybercrooks have created a fake SourceForge site called sourceforgechile.net to serve up cocktails of fresh malware downloads exploiting those who may mistake the site for the legitimate SourceForge.net site.

SourceForge (SourceForge.net) has become a household name for those looking for downloading open source applications and files from the Internet. SourceForge is the go-to site for some who look to obtain open source games and applications ranging from communications apps to administration to development programs. It is a unfortunate commonality for hackers to exploit such sources by means of creating some type of malicious site that mimics a trusted entity. Such an incident has taken place recently where SourceForge is being exploited through a malicious site where PC users are served malicious downloads.

In examining the malicious downloads from the sourceforgechile.net site, it was found by Zscaler researcher Julien Sobrier to offer modifications for the popular Minecraft game. The file, minecraft_1.3.2.exe, was discovered to be related to the ZeroAccess Trojan, which is known for infecting a system without any indication to the computer user while it enslaves the infected system as part of a botnet. The Trojan infection associated with the minecraft_1.3.2.exe malware file may eventually lead to surreptitious clicks on advertisements to generate money for the owner(s) of the botnet.

Traditionally, systems belonging to botnets could be instructed at later dates to perform other malicious actions. By knowing this, the reach of the fake SourceForge site could be greater than we initially perceive.

It is highly advisable that computer users stay clear of questionable sites or those who may mimic legitimate ones. The fake SourceForge site is just one out of many unidentified malicious sites created to foil computer users into download some variation of malware. Verifying the URL of the site is a major step in insuring you are visiting a trusted source. Additionally, running updated antispyware or antivirus software is a proactive step to detecting and stopping the download of malware from a questionable source over the internet.