Obama Sex Video Virus

Virus:   Obama Sex Video

Status:   Real virus.

Example:   [Collected via e-mail, September 2008]

Last updated:   The virus lure message could arrive with any of the following subject lines:

• Obama is ponstar now


• Porno with Obama


• Sex Video with Obama


• Obama Sex Video


• Barack Obama Hardcore


• Barack Obama sex story with girl


• Obama private porno


• Barack Obama sex story with Ukrainian girl

Origins:   E-mail

lures intended to trick users into downloading viruses onto their computers often falsely claim to offer video clips of celebrities engaging in sex acts or information about some important breaking political story or scandal, so conflating those two topics would seemingly create a very effective lure indeed. Such was the premise of a September 2008 spam mailing that offered a link at which recipients could supposedly view Illinois senator (and 2008 Democratic presidential candidate) Barack Obama engaging in "sex action with many ukrainian girls!".

Those who took the bait and clicked through on the message's link did get to view an X-rated video clip, but that video did not show (or have anything else to do with) Senator Barack Obama. Meanwhile, as the unwitting viewers watched the non-Obama sex video, malware (the Mal/Hupig-D Trojan horse, which is ultimately used to steal passwords and other sensitive information) was being furtively downloaded onto their computers.

Mal/Hupig-D affects Windows-based computer platforms and can be detected/removed by most up-to-date anti-virus software.

Last updated:   14 September 2008

  Sources:

    Mills, Elinor.   "Obama Sex Video? Hardly. It's Spyware Spreading via E-mail."

    CNET Networks, Inc.   10 September 2008.