Malicious Screensaver: Malware on Gnome-Look.org
A screensaver from Gnome-Look.org at closer look revealed itself to be malware.
When installing an innocuous "waterfall" screensaver from Gnome-Look.org, an Ubuntu user noticed something strange: apart from the screensaver not being on GNOME's approved list, it also contained a script that performed some peculiar substitutions.
Among other things, it took a file named auto.bash from the server and installed it on /user/bin/, along with a file named gnome.sh that it put in the /etc/profile.d/ directory. The script then issued ping requests to send very large packages to a particular server. The script presumably helped serve in a denial-of-service (DoS) attack against other servers that provide exploits for huge multiplayer games such as World of Warcraft.
The user posted his discovery in the Ubuntu Forums and the screensaver has since disappeared from the Gnome-Look.org site. The guesswork as to what the script exactly did and how to remove was batted about in the forum. Apparently the Debian package installed under the name app5552. It was determined that removing the malware together with the malicious script required the command
sudo rm -f /usr/bin/Auto.bash /usr/bin/run.bash /etc/profile.d/gnome.sh /usr/bin/index.php /usr/bin/run.bash && sudo dpkg -r app5552
In general the lesson to be learned is if you want a secure system, don't download any software outside the official package sources without at least looking at the source code first.
Comments
comments powered by DisqusSubscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Linux Mint 22.2 Beta Available for Testing
Some interesting new additions and improvements are coming to Linux Mint. Check out the Linux Mint 22.2 Beta to give it a test run.
-
Debian 13.0 Officially Released
After two years of development, the latest iteration of Debian is now available with plenty of under-the-hood improvements.
-
Upcoming Changes for MXLinux
MXLinux 25 has plenty in store to please all types of users.
-
A New Linux AI Assistant in Town
Newelle, a Linux AI assistant, works with different LLMs and includes document parsing and profiles.
-
Linux Kernel 6.16 Released with Minor Fixes
The latest Linux kernel doesn't really include any big-ticket features, just a lot of lines of code.
-
EU Sovereign Tech Fund Gains Traction
OpenForum Europe recently released a report regarding a sovereign tech fund with backing from several significant entities.
-
FreeBSD Promises a Full Desktop Installer
FreeBSD has lacked an option to include a full desktop environment during installation.
-
Linux Hits an Important Milestone
If you pay attention to the news in the Linux-sphere, you've probably heard that the open source operating system recently crashed through a ceiling no one thought possible.
-
Plasma Bigscreen Returns
A developer discovered that the Plasma Bigscreen feature had been sitting untouched, so he decided to do something about it.
-
CachyOS Now Lets Users Choose Their Shell
Imagine getting the opportunity to select which shell you want during the installation of your favorite Linux distribution. That's now a thing.
Reflections on Trusting Trust