'Undetectable' Peter Pan virus hits thousands: Malware disguised as pantomine tickets could steal your passwords
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A Peter Pan pantomime in Bournemouth is being used as a front for a dangerous cyber attack from Eastern Europe which is 'undetectable' by anti-virus software.
Hackers have constructed an email invoice asking for £145 for tickets to a performance at the Bournemouth Pavilion theatre from 6 December to 4 January.
When the attachment is opened, a virus is installed onto the recipient's computer capable of stealing information such as passwords and sensitive personal information.
A Peter Pan pantomime in Bournemouth is being used as a front for a dangerous cyber attack from Eastern Europe which is 'undetectable' by anti-virus software. This is what you may see if you open the email
Authorities believe the email is targeting small and medium businesses throughout the UK as it can breach their spam filters and security settings.
They have estimated that the attack has already reached thousands of computers and many more are at risk.
Early reports suggest that the attack originated from the Belarus' National Academy of Sciences, and servers in France, according to a report by Gregory Walton in the Telegraph.
The virus can steal passwords from social media accounts, gain access to the user's email and spread itself to other machines that are using the same internet connection.
A number of users have reported that the email includes the last four numbers of their real credit card, making the scam particularly convincing.
A screenshot from the attachment. When the attachment is opened, it covertly installs a virus onto the recipient's computer capable of stealing information such as passwords and sensitive personal information
According to online virus experts Comodo, the detection rate for this particular virus is just 3 in 55 machines
BH Live, the Bournemouth entertainment company in whose name the spam messages were sent, has been criticised for failing to adequately help those affected
The malicious attachment appears as printable tickets for three adults and six children, and those who open it could risk being disconnected by their internet providers.
According to online virus experts Comodo, the detection rate for this particular virus is just 3 in 55 machines infected.
BH Live, the Bournemouth entertainment company in whose name the spam messages were sent, has been criticised for failing to adequately help those affected.
A statement issued on the website of the Bournemouth Pavilion said: 'Emails have been sent to a number of recipients purporting to be from BH Live.'
'Initial investigations suggest that emails did not originate from BH Live's systems or network. Please do not open any attachment or click any links.
'We will post updates via our website and social media. We apologise for any inconvenience.'
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