Scammers Take to eBay to Distribute Malware

A frequent eBay user was infected with malware after purchasing an iPod from the site.

An article over on [H]ardOCP brings an interesting twist to identity theft, especially for consumers who purchase gadgets from eBay such as iPods and MP3 players. A forum member contacted the site and reported that hackers may be loading up devices with malware and then throwing them up for bid on the auction site. Once consumers receive the purchased device and connects it to the PC, the malware snakes into the system and steals information.

The forum member provides an example, saying that after connecting an iPod to the PC, one "lady" lost $12,000 USD in cash along with three credit cards being maxed out in just a matter of days. "As we asked more questions, she said her computer had been running very slow since she purchased an iPod off eBay last week," the forum member said. "I looked on the iPod drive and there are numerous dll's, exe, and tons of malware."

It should come as no surprise that used gadgets up for sale anywhere could possibly contain some type of malicious code-- even trusted devices are no longer safe. Recently Vodafone discovered that over 3,000 HTC Magic smartphones issued to customers contained malware that somehow found its way onto a batch of memory cards prior to deployment. Malware has even been detected in software used with Energizer's DUO USB battery charger.

Consumers purchasing devices off eBay and other sites should remain cautious. While the prices are cheap, buyers may want to stick with trusted sources or break down and purchase a new version at a local retail store. Although nothing is completely safe anymore, out-of-the-box products are less likely to cause severe headaches in the end.

Or, you can just format the device before using it...