Trojan hides behind 'Michael Jackson home video'

Hackers are pointing users to a phoney video of Michael Jackson to coax them into downloading a Trojan horse.

The movie, which hackers posted links to on newsgroups, supposedly displays Jackson performing "un-natural acts" with a boy, reported antivirus firm Sophos.

But instead the link opens a website that automatically downloads a Trojan horse called hackarmy, which allows hackers to enter a back door to infected computers.

"There's no real movie here, just a Trojan that allows hackers to access your computer," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos

"It supposedly gives you pictures of Michael Jackson doing bad things. There's a real danger that people are getting their news from gossip groups like these and not from proper news sites."

The messages have come at a time when Jackson is seeking to ban an Eminem video that shows Eminem dressed as Jackson jumping on a bed with boys. In the video, Eminem's plastic nose falls off and his hair catches fire.

Earlier this week, hackers tried a similar trick with a photo of David Beckham, which downloaded the same Trojan, distributed by the Hackarmy. Hackers have also used photos of Osama bin Laden and Britney Spears to perform similar tricks.

Dan Ilett writes for ZDNet UK