The virtual machines and networks have been free from any malware attack and threats so far. However, we have recently found a new breed of malware that can not only attack Windows and Mac OS X but also infect other environments including virtual machines as well. This malware is known as Crisis or Morcut which is actually a Rootkit with the ability to infect four different operating platforms. Once infected, the malware remains in your PC tracking your network activities through Safari or Firefox, record Skype conversation and also track your instant messages. This is indeed a dangerous malware since it has the ability launch a widespread attack on information technology especially the cloud or virtual ones.
Usually this malware spreads in computers through social engineering attacks by tricking the users as Java Applet Flash installer. After this, it installs a suitable Trojan through a Java or JAR file compromising the computer security. The Malware named Crisis was first discovered by Kaspersky Lab researchers in July 2012 and it can be detected by antivirus applications as W32.Crisis in Windows and OSX.Crisis in Mac operating system. According to recent report, it can also infect Windows Mobile and USB drives as well. However, the Android and iOS devices have been reported to be immune against this threat as they have different codes and system.
The Crisis has been a big concern for people who have been using virtual machines as a safe mean for online transaction and banking. Now that, the platform has been also compromised to Crisis malware, people are getting really panicked for this. However, many experts on IT security have been saying that this is not a critical issue and can be resolved easily with a few simple precautions. Like other malwares, it infects the virtual machines, not the VMWare images. They can terminate themselves when there is a VMWare or a virtual machine monitoring application. In addition to that, you should always keep your antivirus and malware detectors up to dated and stay away from any behavior that might risk your virtual machine such as installing any random Java template you stumble on. Also, you should regularly scan your PC for any kind of malwares such as Crisis.
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