A new kind of malicious software is aimed at music-loving Windows users. The new malware, hits those who download music files on peer-to-peer networks, and inserts links to dangerous web pages within ASF (Advanced Systems Format) media files.

if a user plays an infected music file, it will launch Internet Explorer and load a malicious web page which asks the user to download a codec, a well-known trick to get someone to download malware.

The actual download is not a codec but a Trojan horse, which installs a proxy program on the PC, Emm said. The proxy program allows hackers to route other traffic through the compromised PC, helping the hacker essentially cover their tracks for other malicious activity, Emm said.

The malware has worm-like qualities. Once on a PC, it looks for MP3 or MP2 audio files, transcodes them to Microsoft’s Windows Media Audio format, wraps them in an ASF container and adds links to further copies of the malware, in the guise of a codec, according to another security analyst, Secure Computing.

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