Spyware fighters go after MP3 search site

Two anti-spyware watchdogs are urging federal regulators in the US to take action against a music search website they say is a front for malicious software, silicon.com reports.
FastMP3Search.com.ar, registered in Argentina, advertises itself as a search service for music files but instead tricks people into loading a host of malicious applications onto their PC and opens computers up to further cyber attacks, according to the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) and StopBadware.org.
“In the past year, we’ve come across dozens of malicious programs available on hundreds of websites, and without question, the FastMP3Search.com.ar plug-in tops our list of the worst actors,” said John Palfrey, co-director of the StopBadware coalition.
The music search site asks people to install a plug-in to be able to download MP3 files. This plug-in is actually a cocktail of malicious software that contains adware, Trojan horses and disables the Microsoft Windows firewall.
“They’ve combined so many bad things in a single bundle. It’s a parade of horribles,” said Palfrey.