Project Mayhem 2012 – Where, and when, may the Fawkes Virus surface?
by , on 18 November 2011
Anonymous claims it’s ready to unleash its mysterious “Fawkes Virus” on popular social networking sites after what it calls a testing period on Facebook.
The Virus “has already been released on Facebook and will be on other social networking sites very soon,” said Anonymous, speaking in a robotic voice in an eery video released yesterday.
Who could expect to be attacked by Anonymous and why?
Here are our top three suspects:
1. Twitter
As the source of the freshest information on the internet, we think of Twitter as the most likely next victim. People are looking here for the latest information - and hijacking some important media accounts could be a good channel for distributing the Fawkes Virus. We should also remember that Twitter was suspected of censoring the WikiLeaks hashtag during the WikiLeaks scandal.
On the other hand, most of the information distributed by Anonymous was on Twitter, so they might not want to kill their own distribution channel?
2. Google+ and other Google Services
While Google+ doesn't have the popularity of Facebook and Twitter, Google stores a significant amount of personal information on each user. This kind of information may be very attractive for Anonymous.
3. Tumblr
Even if it's not really considered a social network, concerns regarding the Tumblr spam problem may make it seem an easy target for distributing attacks. But, as in Twitter case, Anonymous use Tumblr to spread information.
The only concrete effect that we have detected from the Fawkes Virus so far is the wave of rumors about it. At this moment no one is certain what the Fawkes Virus looks like – or even if it exists.
What's next?
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On Apr.1.2012 16:15
Anonymous said
Remember the fifth of november...
We are anonymous
We are legion
We do not forget
We do not forgive
Expect us
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Authors
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Bitdefender Security Specialists
Bitdefender Labs -
Catalin Cosoi
Chief Security Researcher -
Dan Lowe
Dan Lowe, an OEM Senior Marketing Manager, has been working with Bitdefender for the last 3 ½ years. His familiarity with multiple security products from Firewalls to Antivirus has provided him a unique perspective on the security industry. -
Ligia Adam
Security Evangelist and Social Media Professional -
Loredana Botezatu
Loredana Botezatu – E-threat Analyst – Loredana has been writing about the IT world and e-security for well over five years. She has made a personal goal out of educating computer users about the ins and outs of the cybercrime ecosystem.