In early February, Symantec noticed the increased activity of Trojan.Brisv.A, a Trojan virus initially detected in July 2008. The company has issued a warning to its Web-connected customers that their music collections may once more be at risk.
The original version altered media file codes, causing Windows Media Player to access a malicious URL, which then downloaded malware onto the computer when media files were played.
The latest version of the virus comes with a twist: it now converts all .mp2 and .mp3 files into .wma files, making the creation of software to remove malicious code and restore infected files to their original states very difficult.
Complicating the clean-up further, it is now even harder to separate files with legitimate digital rights management code in them from those modified by the Trojan.
Symantec has released a removal tool, which will clean up the virus and disinfect affected media files; however, it will not prevent re-infection.
The company advises customers to ensure their virus definitions are up-to-date to protect against future variants of this virus.
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